- 2015 Airbus "Fly Your Ideas" Global University Aircraft Competition Finalist Teams Announced
- Finalist ideas include: using drones to divert birds away from airports, future flight inspiration derived from game consoles, etc.
- The Airbus "Fly Your Ideas" competition is held biennially, with the winning team receiving a €30,000 prize
Paris, May 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The five finalist teams in the 2015 Airbus "Fly Your Ideas" global university aircraft competition have been selected. The innovative concepts among the finalists include: generating electricity for onboard systems by harvesting natural vibrations from aircraft wings; using drones to guide birds near airports to a safe area called a "birdport"; and an infrared detection system inspired by game consoles that identifies potential obstacles during taxiing. The five finalist teams will compete for the €30,000 grand prize.
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These groundbreaking ideas were selected from over 500 submissions to Airbus' biennial global university aircraft competition. Airbus, in collaboration with UNESCO, created the "Fly Your Ideas" competition to inspire young people to innovate and provide them with the opportunity to experience the dynamic environment of the aviation industry firsthand.
Diversity is a key driver of innovation and excellence, and this year's finalists represent the most diverse lineup in the history of the competition, including participants from nine universities and eight nationalities, with both engineering and non-engineering backgrounds, and a higher proportion of female students than in previous years.
The competing teams' ideas must address one of the six major challenges identified by Airbus for the future development of the aviation industry, providing sustainable solutions to key issues facing the sector, where growth, efficiency, and talent will be crucial to ensuring the industry’s future vitality.
The five finalist teams come from Brazil, China, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. They will travel to Hamburg, Germany, for the finals. On May 27, the teams will present their ideas to Airbus and industry experts to compete for the grand prize. The runner-up will receive €15,000.
The teams competing for the championship are:
"Beneficial Vibrations" Energy-Harvesting Wing Skin -- “MULTIFUN Team, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
MULTIFUN makes good use of the natural vibrations of aircraft wings. The team’s concept involves creating a wing skin from a composite material that can absorb energy generated by the natural vibrations and bending of the wings. Piezoelectric fibers in the skin can even capture charges from the smallest movements during flight and store the resulting electrical energy in integrated panels on the airframe, which can power auxiliary onboard systems such as lighting and entertainment. This idea not only reduces energy consumption during flight but could also potentially replace all ground-based power sources for the aircraft.
Drone-Guided "birdport” -- “BIRDPORT Team, The University of Tokyo, University of TokyoJapan
The BIRDPORT concept involves deploying a series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to guide birds away from airports to nearby comfortable habitats. The drones use separation, aggregation, and cohesion strategies to manage bird flocks, relocating them to Birdport—a naturally safe bird habitat created using bird calls and decoys. This idea aims to significantly reduce bird strikes and enhance aircraft reliability.
Infrared Navigation System Inspired by Game Consoles -- AFT-BURNER-REVERSER Team, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China
AFT-BURNER-REVERSER applies motion-sensing technology from game consoles to an aircraft’s taxiing guidance system. The device uses infrared detection and visual information technology to send high-risk obstacle warnings to pilots and ground crew when the wingtips come too close to obstacles. This design aims to reduce aircraft turnaround time and lower the probability of scraping, thereby cutting costs and saving airlines millions of euros annually.
Customized Carts for Faster Trash Sorting -- RETROLLEY Team, University of São Paulo, Brazil
RETROLLEY aims to reduce the issue of cabin waste on flights. Their concept reduces the time required for post-flight cabin waste collection and sorting, improving operational efficiency for short-haul flights. The customized carts introduced by the team enable smart waste sorting and recycling by minimizing foil, paper, and plastic, as well as collecting liquids. This can reduce the weight of food service equipment in the aircraft cabin by up to 30 kilograms, lowering fuel consumption and effectively increasing food storage space.
Ground-Based Wireless Eco-Friendly Charging System -- BOLLEBOOS Team, City University London, United Kingdom
BOLLEBOOS proposes its innovative Ground-Based Wireless Eco-Friendly Charging (WEGO) system, allowing aircraft to receive energy while taxiing. A ground transmitter located on the taxiway beneath the aircraft can wirelessly send power to a receiver situated between the nose landing gear wheels. This provides a continuous energy source for ground operations, reducing carbon emissions by half.
Airbus Executive Vice President of EngineeringCharles Champion said:"Congratulations to the five teams who have made it to the finals of our 'Fly Your Ideas' university aircraft competition. As always, this competition has been very challenging, so all the teams who have reached the finals should be extremely proud. Their ideas show us how the younger generation can bring fresh thinking to our industry and contribute to the future of aviation. That is exactly what 'Fly Your Ideas' is all about."
Flavia Schlegel, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences at UNESCOFlavia Schlegel said:“We are delighted to collaborate with Airbus on the ‘Fly Your Ideas’ competition. By embracing diversity — which is essential for driving innovation — this competition offers students of all genders from diverse backgrounds and regions around the world the opportunity to showcase their individual expertise and engage in shaping the future of the aviation industry. We wish all teams the best of luck for the finals.”
The winning teams will be announced at a ceremony in Hamburg on May 27.
‘Fly Your Ideas’ is part of Airbus’s 2050 sustainable air travel vision, ‘The Future by Airbus’.
To learn more and watch a video of the finalists’ reactions upon hearing of their success, visit http://www.airbus-fyi.com
Editor’s note
Airbus ‘Fly Your Ideas’ is a biennial global university student aviation competition, organized in partnership between Airbus and UNESCO, aimed at encouraging students to think innovatively about the future of the aviation industry. The competition provides students with a unique opportunity to apply classroom learning and research by tackling real challenges faced by the aviation sector in collaboration with a team of Airbus professionals. It also enables students to apply their creativity in a special learning environment, enhancing their competitiveness in a challenging job market. Students can choose their proposals from six major themes of aviation development: efficiency, passenger experience, energy, sustainable growth, traffic growth, and community friendliness.