NASA Tests New Airplane Wings with Changeable Shape

The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, makes its first test flight in Mojave, California, US April 13, 2019. (Reuters)
The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, makes its first test flight in Mojave, California, US April 13, 2019. (Reuters)
TT

NASA Tests New Airplane Wings with Changeable Shape

The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, makes its first test flight in Mojave, California, US April 13, 2019. (Reuters)
The world's largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems, makes its first test flight in Mojave, California, US April 13, 2019. (Reuters)

A team of US engineers has built a new kind of airplane wing assembled from hundreds of tiny identical pieces and can change shape to control the plane's flight.

According to the researchers, the innovation could provide a significant boost in aircraft production, flight and maintenance efficiency.

The new approach to wing construction, designed by engineers from the NASA and MIT institute, could afford greater flexibility in the design and manufacturing of future aircraft. The new wing design was tested in a NASA wind tunnel.

The Phys.org website reported that instead of requiring separate movable surfaces such as ailerons to control the roll and pitch of the plane, as conventional wings do, the new assembly system makes it possible to deform the whole wing, or parts of it, by incorporating a mix of stiff and flexible components in its structure.

The researchers explained that the result is a wing that is much lighter, and thus much more energy efficient, than those with conventional designs, whether made from metal or composites, because the structure, comprising thousands of tiny triangles of matchstick-like struts, is composed mostly of empty space.

In a related context, the world's largest aircraft flew over the Mojave Desert in California. Made of carbon composites, this new airplane was produced by Stratolaunch Systems as it entered the private space market.

Stratolaunch was founded by Paul Allen, the late co-founder of Microsoft. The white aircraft took off and remained in the sky for over two hours before landing safely at the Mojave airport.



France, Germany, Sweden Urge EU Battery Sector Push to Avoid China Reliance

Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Ebba Busch addresses the "Summit of the Future" in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo
Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Ebba Busch addresses the "Summit of the Future" in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo
TT

France, Germany, Sweden Urge EU Battery Sector Push to Avoid China Reliance

Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Ebba Busch addresses the "Summit of the Future" in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo
Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Ebba Busch addresses the "Summit of the Future" in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo

France, Germany and Sweden called on the incoming European Commission on Thursday to ensure the future of battery production in Europe and avoid relying on China to meet its needs for the green transition.

In a paper released ahead of an EU ministers' meeting to discuss EU competitiveness on Thursday, the three EU members said European battery companies faced common challenges of scaling up in a global playing field that was not level.

The EU needs to cut red tape, speed up approval processes, create better routes to funding and markets for new companies in the sector and allocate more EU funding for the battery industry, they said.

"If we are to succeed with the green transition we need to get the European battery sector flying and taking a proper share of the market," Swedish Industry Minister Ebba Busch told reporters before the meeting in Brussels, Reuters reported.

The issue is acute for Sweden after Northvolt filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States last week. The Swedish government has repeatedly said it won't invest in Northvolt to save the company, which has been Europe's biggest hope for an electric vehicle battery champion.

Busch said a strong message from Brussels that European battery making had a solid future would increase the chances for Northvolt to secure new capital from other sources.

China has taken a huge lead in powering EVs, controlling 85% of global battery cell production, International Energy Agency data shows. Busch said the European Union needed to learn from its previous reliance on Russian gas and not become dependent again on an economic rival.

"The green transition might end up becoming a Chinese transition in Europe... Just look at solar cell or wind power sector, a lot of that has been taken over by third-country investment," she said.

The new European Commission, which takes over on Dec. 1, plans in its first 100 days to issue an outline of how the bloc can compete economically while meeting its climate targets.

Busch said the three countries behind the paper were calling for improved regulation to promote new projects and conditions to allow companies to scale up.

German state secretary Berhard Kluttig said the EU also needed to look to sources other than China for key raw material inputs.

"There are many options, Australia, Canada and even Europe, we have lithium projects, so it is also important that we focus on these alternative sources for battery materials," he said.