Today one can’t overestimate the role of aviation in the whole world. The volume of the world’s aircraft construction market accounts for 155 billion dollars. According to Oxford Economics, approximately 50 million jobs and $3.6 trillion of the world’s GDP will depend on general aviation by 2026 (Norton, 2009). In this case technological advancements are going to be very important in the future. Here are the top three trends that we think have a profound impact on the modern aviation industry.
As aviation is fastest growing cause of emissions (flying causes 3.5 % of global CO2 emissions and this will jump to more than 15 % by 2050) engineers are thinking about the idea of green flight. In this case we should consider solar planes which are very promising, though they will need to be greatly improved before commercial flight becomes an option. Another advancement in green aviation is electric crafts. For example, Sikorsky Aircraft recently revealed its Firefly helicopter, an all-electric aircraft. Like solar planes, the Firefly features a high-capacity battery to store energy in-flight. Electric crafts inherently require less energy, since they lack the many extra moving parts required to use fuel. The second trend is drone flight. Today, unmanned aircrafts are commonly used for war operations in many countries. But as drone planes grow more capable of performing complex tasks and carrying passengers, unmanned commercial flight seems to be on the horizon. One particularly promising non-combat application of unmanned aircraft is search and rescue. A team of researchers at Brigham Young University recently revamped a cheap propeller-driven plane with computerized maps and cameras that determine the locations of lost hikers. The third trendiest topic in aviation is futuristic design and innovation. A prime example is Airbus’ 2030 Concept Plane. Conceptual components include self-cleaning cabins, smart seats that form to passengers’ bodies, and see-through walls, floors and ceilings. Engineers even imagine holographic projections that could turn the cabin into a home office or Zen garden.
All of these technologies might provide the keys to safer, greener and more comfortable air travel.
Библиографическая ссылка
Чесноков Ю.А., Игнатьева Е.А. СОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ В АВИАЦИИ // Современные наукоемкие технологии. – 2013. – № 7-1. – С. 63-63;URL: https://top-technologies.ru/ru/article/view?id=31884 (дата обращения: 18.04.2024).