MIT manufactured the first airplane without moving parts

The University of Massachusetts, commonly known as MIT, built the first one that flies with no moving parts using ionization. An invention that we may see applied to ultra-quiet drones as well as hybrid aircraft.

MIT

Aircraft, whether carrying an internal combustion engine which produces exhaust gases or an electric motor, can not avoid noise pollution. The noise is. And that's because they fly on the moving parts that propel the air and, by extension, the airplane itself. MIT researchers, however, come to overturn a history of almost 100 years, ever since Reit brothers flew the first 1903 airplane.

The researchers at MIT have built and successfully thrown an ionic aircraft that does not use mobile parts. The large 5 meter wing aircraft weighs approximately 5 pounds and carries a series of fine wires, which are positioned as a horizontal fence along and below the front end of the airplane blade. The wires act as positively charged electrodes, while similarly arranged thicker wires running along the rear end of the airplane blade serve as negative electrodes.

The fuselage of the airplane contains an array lithium-polymer. Special machines convert the battery current to 40.000 volts by positively charging the cables.

Once the cables are positively charged, they attract and release negatively charged electrons from surrounding air molecules, like a giant magnet that attracts iron chips. The air molecules that remain behind are ionized and in turn are attracted by the negatively charged electrodes at the rear of the airplane wings.

As the newly formed ion cloud flows to the negatively charged wires, each ion collides millions of times with other air molecules, creating a thrust that pushes the aircraft forward.

Aircraft powered by ionized winds are not a new invention. The technology has been around for years, but until now the machines operated on a benchtop as they were limited by the cables connecting these machines to high voltage. The solution here was a custom battery power supply that could produce the necessary power for a 60 meters, which was also the length of the indoor court where the tests took place. Of course in all the tests there was no noise since there are no moving parts.

There is a very long way to see this technology in the sky. However, the potential of this invention is evident. Surely at some point you will see very quiet aircraft, such as drones, that will not emit irritating noise. There could also be hybrid planes that could improve fuel efficiency. And since there are no moving parts, the ion-impulse aircraft could be more reliable than the conventional ones.

Watch the relevant MIT video below:

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Written by Dimitris

Dimitris hates on Mondays .....

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