Now Reading: Popcorn planes? Students design giant airbags for plane; AI system promises to ‘bounce’ crashes into survivals
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Popcorn planes? Students design giant airbags for plane; AI system promises to ‘bounce’ crashes into survivals
Popcorn planes? Students design giant airbags for plane; AI system promises to ‘bounce’ crashes into survivals
In the aftermath of June’s tragic Air India crash, two younger engineers imagine they could have discovered a method to make the skies safer with exterior airbags for aeroplanes.The futuristic security idea, referred to as Project REBIRTH, has been shortlisted for the celebrated James Dyson Award, which honours groundbreaking innovations that may change the world.Designed by Eshel Wasim and Dharsan Srinivasan of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science’s Dubai campus, the system makes use of synthetic intelligence to predict imminent crashes and deploy protecting airbags across the plane’s fuselage, in accordance to the James Dyson Award’s official web site. The concept, nonetheless unconventional, is easy: cushion the aircraft like a giant inflatable cocoon to flip in any other case deadly impacts into survivable landings.
AI detects failure, deploys airbags, types protecting cocoon, absorbs impact- passengers survive (Pic credit score: James Dyson Award web site)
“Project REBIRTH is the first AI-powered crash survival system,” the inventors defined. “It deploys smart airbags, impact-absorbing fluids, and reverse thrust mid-air — turning fatal crashes into survivable landings.”
Born from tragedy
The two engineers stated the concept got here after the Air India Flight 171 catastrophe in Ahmedabad in June, when a 787-8 Dreamliner crashed simply seconds after takeoff, killing 241 of the 242 folks on board.
AI-Powered aircraft airbags (Pic credit score: James Dyson Award web site)
“After the June 2025 crash, my mother couldn’t sleep,” one of many creators recalled. “She kept thinking about the fear the passengers and pilots must have felt, knowing there was no way out. That helplessness haunted us. Why isn’t there a system for survival after failure?”
How does it work?
The REBIRTH system repeatedly displays altitude, pace, engine efficiency, hearth, route, and pilot response. If a crash under 3,000 ft is deemed unavoidable, the airbags deploy inside two seconds from the nostril, stomach, and tail, wrapping the fuselage in padded layers, in accordance to the official web site.
Crash survival system for an plane (Pic credit score: James Dyson Award web site)
Other options embrace:
- Reverse thrust or fuel thrusters to sluggish descent and stabilise the aircraft.
- Impact-absorbing fluids behind partitions and seats that stay gentle till influence, then harden to scale back accidents.
- Compatibility with each new and current plane.
The highway forward
The designers hope to accomplice with aerospace labs for crash sledge and wind tunnel testing. While no timeline has been set for real-world trials, they are saying their aim is obvious: to make REBIRTH “tested, approved, and used in real flights.”If they win the James Dyson Award on November 5, they’re going to obtain greater than $40,000 and help to launch their very own firm. But Wasim and Srinivasan insist their mission goes past cash or recognition.“This competition is our first step in bringing our vision forward — not for fame, but with the hope that one day, it may help save lives when all else fails,” they stated.
