Airbus has recently shared its concept plane with the world, sporting a design that puts the Enterprise (of Star Trekfame) to shame. No, it can't reach warp speeds, but it does look impressive.
According to Airbus, the concept could be built using a bionic structure that mimics the bone structure of birds. This will not only reduce the aircraft's weight and fuel burn, but also make it possible to add features such as oversized doors and panoramic windows. The cabin's bionic structure will be coated with a biopolymer membrane, which will control the amount of natural light, humidity and temperature, as well as varying the transparency. This will eliminate the need for windows. In effect, the "smarter" structure will make the aircraft lighter and more fuel-efficient, while giving passengers a 360-degree view of the skies. Imagine seeing the Pyramids or the Eiffel Tower through the transparent floor of the aircraft!
The composite materials used in the plane will be totally different from what we see today. What's more, these materials may not even be solids; they could be a composition of a fluid and gas. Sounds weird, but that's exactly what Airbus' concept details say. Morphing materials that can change shape and return to their initial form might take care of the seating arrangements. The materials will be given a certain level of "intelligence", allowing them to adapt to passengers' needs.
Some of the elements in the cabin could be created using Additive Layer Manufacturing, which is a bit like printing in 3D. The process repeatedly prints very thin layers of material on top of each other until they form a solid object. This makes it easy to produce very complex shapes, and the technique is already being tested for small aircraft parts.
Sounds great, but the fine print is that it will take a good 60+ years to actually manufacture something close to this concept plane. Airbus knows that even if it fails to pull this rabbit- er... plane out of the hat, we won't be complaining.
In any case, I sure hope they don't make the loos out of this thing.
According to Airbus, the concept could be built using a bionic structure that mimics the bone structure of birds. This will not only reduce the aircraft's weight and fuel burn, but also make it possible to add features such as oversized doors and panoramic windows. The cabin's bionic structure will be coated with a biopolymer membrane, which will control the amount of natural light, humidity and temperature, as well as varying the transparency. This will eliminate the need for windows. In effect, the "smarter" structure will make the aircraft lighter and more fuel-efficient, while giving passengers a 360-degree view of the skies. Imagine seeing the Pyramids or the Eiffel Tower through the transparent floor of the aircraft!
The composite materials used in the plane will be totally different from what we see today. What's more, these materials may not even be solids; they could be a composition of a fluid and gas. Sounds weird, but that's exactly what Airbus' concept details say. Morphing materials that can change shape and return to their initial form might take care of the seating arrangements. The materials will be given a certain level of "intelligence", allowing them to adapt to passengers' needs.
Some of the elements in the cabin could be created using Additive Layer Manufacturing, which is a bit like printing in 3D. The process repeatedly prints very thin layers of material on top of each other until they form a solid object. This makes it easy to produce very complex shapes, and the technique is already being tested for small aircraft parts.
Sounds great, but the fine print is that it will take a good 60+ years to actually manufacture something close to this concept plane. Airbus knows that even if it fails to pull this rabbit- er... plane out of the hat, we won't be complaining.
In any case, I sure hope they don't make the loos out of this thing.
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