http://www.digitaleng.news/de/morphing-wing-design-lays-groundwork-for-soft-robotics/?ajs_uid=0341D5967023A6T

The basic principle behind the new concept is the use of an array
of tiny, lightweight structural pieces, referred to as “digital materials,” that
can be assembled into a virtually infinite variety of shapes.

There are two primary pieces to the MIT/NASA research: The modular system of
tiny, lightweight LEGO-like building blocks that comprise the wing structure and
an advanced manufacturing technique that calls for a team of specialized and
synchronized robots to assemble the subunits into a whole.

The building blocks are essentially an ultralight cellular solid created by
stitching together modular 2D elements at a "voxel" level and fine-tuning their
performance characteristics and the geometry of their assembly…

MIT put its digital materials concepts to the test with the NASA wing project.
The goal was to create a wing design that would allow for twisting in a precise
way that eliminates the need for separate structural pieces (like those found in
conventional wing design) and that also delivers a smooth, aerodynamic surface.
To that end, the researchers created a skin to house the LEGO-like brick
components and optimize the structure’s performance. This part of the design
takes its cue from nature–bird feathers or fish scales, to be exact–by layering
strips of flexible materials that move across each other as the wing flexes, but
that still retain a smooth exterior surface, according to researchers.

Thanks to J. Gibson