Airbus Competition Showcases Disruptive New Ideas for Future Aviation Industry

AsiaNet 53316

TOULOUSE, France, June 10, 2013/PRN=KYODO JBN/ -

    - Fly Your Ideas student challenge highlights the importance of innovation

    Planes powered by body heat, luggage floating on a bed of air and even

aircraft running on cow power (methane gas) - these are just some of the

revolutionary ideas, developed by students from universities across the world,

that could one day feature on the aircraft of the future.

    To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

    http://www.multivu.com/mnr/61908-airbus

    These disruptive aviation concepts have been created for Fly Your Ideas, a

global competition run by Airbus - and supported by UNESCO - designed to

inspire new talent and ensure a sustainable future for the industry. The global

aircraft manufacturer challenged students to develop radical eco-efficient

ideas for aviation with five finalist teams selected by Airbus from a global

pool of creative, engineering and design talent.

    Each team will now travel to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse to compete for

the EUR30,000 prize and present their future-gazing ideas to a panel of judges.

The shortlisted concepts are:

    Luggage floating on air - submitted by Team Levar from Brazil

    - Using the principles of air hockey, the cargo hold is retro-fitted with

      super-light sliding sections to enable workers to quickly, easily and

      safely load and unload luggage

    - Passengers could get their bags 30% faster and can start their holidays

      sooner

    Planes powered by cow power - submitted by Team CLiMA from Australia

    - A sustainable fuel solution puts liquefied methane to use in

      specially-created supercooled pods that sit next to the engines

    - The solution could reduce CO2 emissions by a remarkable 97%

    Shape shifting materials that help reduce noise - submitted by Team AVAS

    from India

    - A simple engine modification made from special shape-shifting materials

      can change airflow through the engine and reduce noise pollution

    Battery-powered hybrid engines - submitted by Team Flybrid from Italy

    - Specially-shaped rechargeable batteries drop into the cargo hold, helping

      to power efficient hybrid engines - only the required number of

      batteries are loaded dependent on mileage, optimizing the plane's weight.

    - In a short-haul flight, this solution could save up to 60% of fuel, which

      reduces up to 40% of CO2 emissions

    Human body heat powering cabins - submitted by Team Embarker from Malaysia

    - Even a resting human body can be efficient - heat energy from

      specially-embedded heat-sensitive material in cabin seats captures

      energy from passengers

    - This energy could be used for onboard electronics, reducing the energy

      requirements for the flight

    Though the idea that cows could provide the fuel to fly you from London to

New York - or that noise reduction could be achieved through shape-shifting

engines - may seem far-fetched, the existence of these concepts could be not

too far away at all.

    Charles Champion, Executive Vice President Engineering at Airbus and Fly

Your Ideas Patron, says: "These future-focused and disruptive concepts prove

that engineering isn't just about technical skills - it's about having an

innovative mindset and a creative approach. But for our industry to succeed in

making aviation carbon neutral by 2020, we need a constant source of fresh and

inventive ideas from the innovators of today and those of tomorrow. Our future

solutions are here right now - and through projects like 'Fly Your Ideas', we

are helping them to become a reality for the future."

    Such innovation may also be under threat from a skills gap that could be

hitting the economy hard. It will see high tech companies face a shortfall of

40 million of the skilled workers needed by 2020 and beyond, with aerospace

likely to suffer, along with motor and the medical equipment sectors.[i]

    Dr Lidia Brito, Director of the Division of Science Policy and Capacity

Building at UNESCO, says: "If we can't find ways to inspire a generation of

engineers with varied skills, this is going to be a principle obstacle for

growth in our slowly recovering global economy. A recent UNESCO Engineering

Report shows a marked shortage of engineers in many countries. Although the

general number of engineering students is increasing worldwide, the proportion

who enroll in engineering, as compared to other disciplines, is concernedly

dropping. We need hands-on challenges like Fly Your Ideas to motivate young

innovators about the potential of engineering in helping to find practical

solutions to issues the world may face in the near future."

    Airbus Fly Your Ideas aims to highlight the growth opportunities available

to young innovators, who could help change the world and work towards a more

sustainable aviation industry, both now and in the future.

    In Fly Your Ideas 2013, students not only have an Airbus mentor to support

the overall direction of their project but have also been assigned an Airbus

expert in their chosen field. It means valuable insight into the opportunities

in an industry that today supports over 56 million jobs; 35% of world trade;

and US$2.2 trillion in global GDP. The international higher education community

can benefit, too, with the potential to identify opportunities for further

research and development.

    Fly Your Ideas is part of The Future by Airbus, the company's vision of

sustainable air travel in 2050. The winning team will be announced at an award

ceremony in Paris on 14th June.

    For more information visit: http://www.airbus-fyi.com

    [i] Source: McKinsey Global Institute, Manufacturing the Future: the next

era of global growth and innovation, November 2012

    Project details, videos & pictures available:

http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressroom

    Notes to Editors

    Fly Your Ideas 2013 Competition Timings

    Registration:                           Closed 30 November 2012

    Round 1, Project proposal:              3 September - 7 December 2012

    Round 2, Project submission:            January - April 2013

    Round 3, Project presentation

    (development):                          May - June 2013

    Final, Project presentation (live):     12th June 2013

    Winning team announced:                 14th June 2013

    About Airbus Fly Your Ideas

    The biennial contest involves three progressively challenging rounds. The

winners will share the top prize of EUR30,000; the runners-up EUR15,000. There

are five teams in the final. The winning team will be picked by a high-profile

panel of judges (details to be announced shortly).

    This is the third edition of the biennial Fly Your Ideas challenge. The

previous contest (2011) drew entries from more than 2,600 students representing

287 universities and 75 countries. 'Team Wings of Phoenix' from China's Nanjing

University of Aeronautics and Astronautics won with their ground-based wind

power generation system that exploits the wakes of aircraft during take-off and

landing.

    For more information, please visit: http://www.airbus-fyi.com

    Fly Your Ideas 2013 Finalists

    Australia - Team CLiMA, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

    Brazil - Team Levar, University of Sao Paulo

    India - Team AVAS, SRM University

    Italy - Team Flybrid, Technical University of Milan

    Malaysia - Team Embarker, Universiti Putra Malaysia

    SOURCE: Airbus