The last days of noisy, gas-guzzling airplanes polluting the skies could be on the horizon as Japanese scientists have successfully -- if briefly -- flown an aircraft powered by water.
The revolutionary vehicle has no traditional power plant and, if the technology gets off the ground and is harnessed commercially, could mean a generation of aircraft that are both lighter and quieter than their present-day counterparts, less prone to malfunctions because of their simplicity, cheaper to operate and therefore cheaper for travelers too.
As an added bonus, a water-powered aircraft would not leave airlines at the mercy of the international oil market, while the propulsion system could be adapted to work similarly well in outer space, according to professor Takashi Yabe, 52, of the Tokyo Institute of Technology.