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Airbus designer hopes to see planes roll out of hangar-sized 3D printers by 2050
3D printing may still be in its infancy, but at least one Airbus designer sees things progressing quite a bit over the next 40 years or so. As Forbes reports, the company's Bastian Schafer has been working on a new concept plane for the last two years with other Airbus designers -- one that would largely be "printed" using a hangar-sized 3D printer. "It would have to be about 80 by 80 meters," he told Forbes, adding that such a thing "could be feasible." According to Schafer, 3D printing could not only lead to some significant cost savings, but also allow for parts that are 65 percent lighter than those made with traditional manufacturing methods. Naturally, the concept plane itself is also a showpiece for a raft of other new technologies, including a transparent wall membrane, a 100 percent recyclable cabin, and "morphing" seats that could harvest body heat from passengers. You can get a peek at what the plane might look like in the video after the break.
Airbus' plane of the future will harvest energy from passengers, earn Agent Smith's approval (video)
Airbus has been consulting its crystal ball recently and its findings have now been shared with the world in the shape of a new concept plane. Looking entirely detached from the economic and physical realities we know today, this futuristic people carrier includes auto-morphing seats that adjust to your size and shape and also harvest excess heat you produce. How is this achieved? Smart materials is all we're told, leaving us to use our imagination to fill in the gaping blanks. Eschewing the usual class system, this Airbus concept instead offers three functionally distinct areas: a Smart Tech Zone at the back is the closest to what we're used to today, an Interaction Zone in the middle uses holograms to help you relax or conduct some mission-critical meetings in flight, and a Vitalising Zone up front is where more "bio-morphing" seats will provide you with massage or acupuncture treatments. The ceiling in that front part of the plane can also be turned transparent, letting you soak up the panorama (and get a good tan while you're at it). You can see and hear more about it in the videos after the break.
