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Using Flexible Flatscreens to Yield a Virtually See-Through Airplane

By Rain Noe - October 29, 2014

in Tech | Cars

You probably remember Richard Branson's April Fool's joke about Virgin producing glass-bottomed planes. I figured this next bit of news might be a gag too, but apparently this proposal for a virtually invisible passenger airplane is sincere.

Put forth by the UK's Centre for Process Innovation, a science/engineering/technology incubator, this "Windowless Fuselage" concept is intended to save fuel and reduce emissions. The CPI's thinking is that commercial airplanes have windows for the passengers' comfort, but that if the windows could be jettisoned from the design, airplanes could be made lighter and thus save on fuel. To offset the feeling of sitting inside a tin can, airplanes would then be lined with ultrathin, flexible plastic screens covering the interior surfaces and even the seatbacks.

These screens, the concept goes, could serve as mere lighting, or the entertainment systems, or be linked to external cameras to provide the impression of flying al fresco. The screens could even "allow the colour changes associated with sunrise and sunset to be controlled on long haul journeys, helping passengers to adjust to time zone differences."

While the CPI refers to these flexible screens as "high definition," a closer examination of the stats reveals they're aiming for a 150 dpi resolution. They reckon that within five years they'll be able to produce these screens in 50-centimeter-wide rolls, rather like wallpaper; they claim the manufacturing techniques "are currently in development at CPI [and] these screens could be produced at a cost that is unlikely to be any more than current displays."

Here's the video pitch:

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slippyfish

9 years ago

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Wow, you guys must work in the airline industry...so much hate.

"This won't go well with people who are afraid of flying."

No, and it gives me a sense of vertigo just looking at the renderings, but its a wild attempt at visualizing the problem of being confined in a tube for hours, looking at your iPad.

As someone who generally prefers to leave the window open and see what's out there I really like the sentiment behind this. The physical constraints should be insurmountable for the next few decades I'd imagine...but I bet we see some iteration of this on a smaller private jet before too long.
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David

9 years ago

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This won't go well with people who are afraid of flying.
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Daniel C

9 years ago

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I'll go ahead and pile on...

"...these screens could be produced at a cost that is unlikely to be any more than current displays." So don't worry folks-- if you can afford to buy enough flatscreens to cover the entire surface area of the inside of a 767, you will be able to afford this idea! Trillionaires will be all over this.
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Rob Wilkey

9 years ago

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Cool a first glance, but there are more issues with this design than I could possibly fit into one post.

I'll start a bulleted list, though
-No parallax, so it will look stretched/flat unless you're sightline is perpendicular
-Can't 'close the window' for a nap
-Even if you could dim it, there would be lightleak issues from other passengers screens
-No real windows, so you're stuck with a 150dpi impostor that doesn't allow you to look down towards the ground or take in any of the _actual_ scenery you're flying over
-Power consumption = fuel consumption = $$$
-Have you ever flown on a plane where your in-seat entertainment is dead? Sweet blacked-out section there, enjoy your flight in your sensory deprivation cell.
-I wish I could set fire to that lazy first rendering. Unfortunately it's digital.
-Technicon beat em to the punch here, on a class of aircraft much more suited to such a concept. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2722656/Ixion-windowless-private-jet-gives-passengers-feeling-flying-transparent-fuselage.html)
-On that note, what airline would spend the money to put this in their economy class? Its obviously going to drive up ticket prices...
-I could go on...

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Toby

9 years ago

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So now the person sitting in front of you can assault your eyes, ears, and knees simultaneously - now that's what I call progress! I'm also imagining a Blue Screen of Death showing across the entire length of the screen on a long trans-oceanic flight...
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Max

9 years ago

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Nice idea; but surely, as with all screen, from most angles the image will be warped. Only when viewing it from straight on will you get the 'effect'.
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