Airbus Names Finalists for "Fly Your Ideas 2017" Student Competition

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TOULOUSE, France, Apr. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

    - New technologies and business models to shape the future of aviation

     - Five teams compete for the crown of most innovative and a EUR30,000 prize

    Airbus has shortlisted the five finalist student teams competing in the

fifth edition of the Fly Your Ideas challenge. The radical concepts selected

cover a wide range of innovations going from an alternative to satellite

imagery, to improved aircraft taxiing, clever ways of boarding, new areas for

luggage storage or offering a new business model using existing Airbus aircraft.

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/489648/Airbus.jpg )

    Representing nine different nationalities and eight universities across

Africa, Europe and Asia-Pacific, the five finalist teams embody true diversity,

which is a key driver of innovation and performance. The students, competing

for a EUR30,000 prize, also demonstrate a wide variety of disciplines from

Natural Sciences to Engineering and Business.

    Their inventive ideas were selected from over 350 entries in Airbus'

biennial global student competition, run in partnership with UNESCO. Students'

ideas had to answer one of five challenges identified by Airbus to provide

sustainable future solutions. The innovations proposed by the five finalist

teams look at alternative business models, passengers' experience and flight

operations.

    The five finalist teams [https://www.airbus-fyi.com/teams ] - from

Australia, France, Hong Kong, Nigeria and the UK - will soon travel to

Toulouse, France, where they will spend a week at the Airbus ProtoSpace

facility to prototype, test and visualise their ideas using state-of-the-art

equipment with personal guidance from Airbus. At the end of their week at

Airbus, the students will present their innovative projects and the newly

developed prototype in front of Airbus experts and personalities from the

aerospace and academic world.

    The ideas competing for the final prize are:

    Airborne Earth Observation - Team SkyVision, University of Surrey, UK

    A radical concept that turns a commercial airliner into an 'Earth

Observation Device' by installing equipment into the belly of the aircraft to

monitor ground activity during flight. An alternative to satellite imagery, it

opens up new opportunities such as ecology analysis and urban planning.

    Improving Airport Taxi Flow and Efficiency - Team Nevada, Obafemi Awolowo

University, Nigeria

    An airport taxiing system that uses sensors and algorithms for automated

Ground Traffic Control, both in the tower and on the aircraft, to significantly

improve aircraft traffic at airports and thus reduce emissions.

    Compact Luggage Strategy Mobile App - Team PassEx, Institut

d'Administration des Entreprises - IAE Toulouse, France

    A revolutionary boarding system that uses a real-time mobile app to assign

boarding status to passengers according to their luggage size. The Compact

Luggage Strategy (CLS) addresses current storage issues in over-head

compartments by distributing passengers across the aircraft according to the

size of their baggage.

    Private Stowage Compartment - Team DAELead, The University of Hong Kong,

Hong Kong

    A clever aircraft cabin design that locates a Private Stowage Compartment

(PSC) underneath passengers' feet, utilizing the space between the cabin floor

and the cargo ceiling.

    A400M Aerial Firefighting Platform - Team Aquarius, Royal Melbourne

Institute of Technology, Australia

    A fire-fighting solution that incorporates modular systems using

pressurized fire retardant containers fixed to fast-loadable pallets for a

network of Airbus A400M aircraft,  to create a system of aerial firefighting

platforms that can be used for rapid wildfire suppression.

    The winning team will receive a EUR30,000 prize with the runner-up team

receiving EUR15,000 at a live event taking place on 17th May in Toulouse.

    Airbus launched Fly Your Ideas in 2008 with the aim of engaging with

universities and students worldwide and from all backgrounds to: stimulate

innovative ideas for a sustainable aviation industry and identify opportunities

for R&T development and/or interaction with academic research teams. The

challenge received UNESCO patronage in 2012 with a renewed partnership in 2014

and 2016.

    For more details and information on the finalists, please visit

http://www.airbus-fyi.com.

    Dominic Sproston  / Tel: +40-726-924-227

SOURCE: Airbus