A commercial plane is already safer than almost any other form of travel, but two young engineers believe survival shouldn’t rely on statistics. Their answer is a jet that can puff itself into a Michelin Man cocoon in the seconds before impact.
The project, called REBIRTH, is a finalist for the James Dyson Award, which celebrates inventions that could change how we live. Its creators, Eshel Wasim and Dharsan Srinivasan of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Dubai, describe it as “the first AI-powered crash survival system.”
The system watches everything from altitude to engine health to pilot response. If disaster becomes unavoidable below 3,000 feet, airbags explode from all sides in under two seconds. The fuselage balloons outward until the plane looks like an enormous inflatable bouncy house barreling through the sky.
Reverse thrust or gas boosters then kick in to slow the fall, while impact-absorbing fluids inside the cabin stiffen on cue to protect passengers from trauma.
A ‘Crash-Proof’ Airplane? Engineers Are Working on It.
The invention was born from tragedy. In June, Air India Flight 171 crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people aboard. Srinivasan’s mother could not stop imagining the terror in the cabin during those final 30 seconds. “That helplessness haunted us. Why isn’t there a system for survival after failure?” he explained in the Dyson Award submission.
That question became months of design and prototyping. “REBIRTH is more than engineering,” the pair explained. “It is a response to grief. A promise that survival can be planned, and that even after failure, there can be a second chance.”
For now, the invention exists only on paper and in concept models. Wasim and Srinivasan say the airbags could be retrofitted to current fleets or built into new aircraft, and they plan to partner with aerospace labs for testing. If they win the Dyson Award in November, the prize money will help, but they maintain that their goal is not profit or prestige.
“This competition is our first step in bringing our vision forward,” they wrote. “Not for recognition, but with the hope that one day, it may help save lives when all else fails.”
The post Engineers Are Pitching the Idea of a Crash-Proof Airplane appeared first on VICE.
