A team at NASA's Langley Research Center is developing a concept of a battery-powered plane that has 10 motors and can take off like a helicopter and fly efficiently like an aircraft.
The prototype, called Greased Lightning or GL-10, is currently in the design and testing phase. The initial thought was to develop a 20-foot wingspan (6.1 meters) aircraft powered by hybrid diesel/electric engines, but the team started with smaller versions for testing, built by rapid prototyping.
This research has helped lead to NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate efforts to better understand the potential of electric propulsion across all types, sizes and missions for aviation.
More: PHYS.org
