Aircraft wings have been assembled the same way for decades. But, engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and NASA have developed a flexible aerostructure that is produced from hundreds of tiny, identical pieces using composite lattice-based cellular materials.
The lightweight wing is comprised of thousands of tiny hollow triangles made up of matchstick- size struts along each edge. The subassemblies are bolted together to form an open, lattice framework that is covered with a thin layer of polymer material.