Posted on 08/26/2014 1:46:19 PM PDT by Red Badger
Windowless planes could be the future of cheaper air travel as a government technology centre develops a proposal to help airlines save on fuel.
In place of windows, plastic display screens projecting the sky outside could line the cabin of an aircraft.
It is hoped the technology will significantly reduce aircraft weight and cut fuel costs without worrying nervous passengers.
The display screens will function using a technique called printable electronics, which involves the use of conductive inks to carry electric current in cardboard and plastic for just a few pence per unit.
The technology could be rolled out in other key industries. For example, in pharmacuticals, so-called 'smart packaging' could be used to remind a patient to take their medication.
However, developers at the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) in Sedgefield, which is one of the government's network of technology centres known as Catapults, are particularly excited by the benefits printable electronics offer to aviation.
Tom Taylor, who is part of the management team at CPI in County Durham, told The Financial Times: "Getting weight out of a plane is a key [goal] for the industry.
"You could see the first of these coming to market in three to four years."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Tech Ping!..................
Who has the aviation ping list?.................
wow. insanely cool.better than windows, i wonder if bill gates knows this is coming. no windows.
Hey look, lightening and a small plane coming our way.
...and of course there will be advertising.
No Windows because they want it to work......................
.........The FIRST TIME........................
I want to see the flight deck!
And now a word from our sponsor..............Dramamine..............
You’d think shots of flying between skyscrapers downtown wouldn’t be on their “good idea” list.
WHy would you want to see the pilots sleeping?.................
Blaine the Monorail.
That's not to mention the maintenance of the windows. One of the volcanoes that erupted in the early 1980s put up a lot of acidic and abrasive ash that scratched and etched the windows, generating a lot of complaints.
The windows weren't polished that often, and it meant extra unscheduled maintenance costs for non-safety and non-health issues.
Volcanoes continue to erupt.
Yeah, that’s pretty awesome! But yes, it will come with advertisements too....
It’s been 13 years...........
>snort<!
BINGO!!!!!
Oh look! a DRONE!.............................
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