An artist’s rendering of a futuristic plane with morphable wings
AFRL / NASA
An alloy of titanium and nickel is as robust as metal however stretches like a rubbery polymer. With some intelligent engineering, it might ultimately result in applied sciences like shape-shifting plane.
Think about a aircraft with lengthy wings that contract in midair to grow to be shorter – and make the craft extra aerodynamic – because it beneficial properties velocity. To make this futuristic know-how, engineers would want a fabric that’s stretchy sufficient to alter form but robust sufficient to face up to the weather throughout flight. Xiaobing Ren on the Nationwide Institute for…
