By now you may have seen pieces of this presentation, but here in less than 6 minutes is something completely different—we think it really gets things moving for 2015.

     We have long thought about technology as human invention devoid of humanity—we create tools, but we rarely feel connected to those tools the way we do with, say, pets, children, family, and friends.
     The closest we have come in recent years is perhaps with the Apple iPhone’s Siri feature, which talks back to the user when asked a question.
     A team at Airbus has been quietly working on integrating travel technology with the people to whom it serves. Technology is always moving forward, and travel technology is never left behind when it comes to that momentum. In a recent TED Talks, Bastian Schäfer of Airbus describes how visions of the future often “reveal disruptive ideas…which break the chains of common thinking.” His team at Airbus is interested in evolving a “more sustainable future of aviation,” which means despite the inhuman mechanics that would normally go into creating their envisioned 260-foot long aircraft, it might be time to look at the human body to create a more organic, responsive means of travel.
     With that in mind, Schäfer and his team created a 3D printed jumbo jet unlike anything you’ve seen before. With a porous frame that intentionally mimics a mammalian skeleton, the aircraft of the future will be windowless, offering passengers 360-degree views of the outside world. Schäfer believes that by copying the structure of human DNA using carbon nanotubes, substructures encoded with information can be created and then used to build aircraft.
     “The airplane of the future will have its own consciousness,” Schäfer said. “It will be more like a living organism than just a collection of very complex technology.” Not only does this mean that airplanes will essentially communicate with passengers and the environment via an inbuilt neural network, but the edifice itself, inspired by nature, will inherently be lighter—a huge step forward in reducing the carbon footprint and saving money.
     Schäfer wants us to imagine a plane in which each individual seat adapts to each individual passenger, potentially harvesting body heat as energy. Social areas would exist for virtual reality gaming or business needs. The aircraft would be self-cleaning and output antioxidant enriched air. No longer would we strain for a view outside the tube through tiny porthole windows—a look in any direction would afford sweeping views of the limitless landscape thirty-nine thousand feet above the earth.
     Next time you open a grimy seat table to consume your bag of peanuts, in a seat that feels too small and too hard, on a plane that smells a bit like an attic-imprisoned carpet on a 100-degree day, think of Airbus’ vision of future air travel and be thankful that for innovators, the future is always now.
     FlyingTypers readers can watch and marvel at Bastian Schäfer’s TED Talks here.
Flossie