Ion Drive: The First Flight
By Nature Video on November 26, 2018
Researchers from MIT have flown a plane with no moving parts for the first time. It is powered by an "ion drive" which uses high powered electrodes to ionise and accelerate air particles, creating an "ionic wind." This wind drove a five-meter-wide craft across a sports hall. Unlike the ion drives which have powered space craft for decades, this new drive uses air as the accelerant. The researchers say it could power silent drones.
This video was reproduced with permission and was first published on November 21, 2018. It is a Nature Video production.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/video/ion-drive-the-first-flight/
