At NASA’s Ames Research Center, engineers and researchers are testing advanced helicopter rotor blades made with piezo-electric materials that flex when subjected to electric fields. Because these blades, which make use of smart material actuated rotor, or SMART, technology, have the ability to significantly reduce noise and vibration, NASA researchers foresee a future where large rotocraft carrying as many as 100 passengers at a time could be safely and quietly making short hops between cities such as New York and Washington.

The featured photo has been supplied courtesy of NASA.