Airbus Contest Aims To Reduce Workload For Baggage Handlers

May 16, 2013
Brazilian finalists borrow idea from air hockey table.

Airbus has selected the five finalist student teams competing in the third edition of the Fly Your Ideas challenge.

The five finalists are:

  • Australia - Team CLiMA, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, for the development of aircraft fuelled by a blend of sustainably produced liquefied biomethane and liquefied natural gas (Bio-LNG).
  • Brazil - Team Levar, University of São Paulo, for a luggage loading and unloading system for airplane cargo compartments to reduce the workload of airport baggage handlers with an air cushion solution inspired by air hockey tables.
  • India - Team AVAS, SRM University, for reduced propulsion noise thanks to jet exhaust shape modification using intelligent materials (shape memory alloys). These alloys are energized by harvested electricity generated by advanced thermoelectric materials using engine heat source.
  • Italy - Team Flybrid, Technical University of Milan, for an electric/turboprop combination for hybrid propulsion in regional aircraft. This system uses batteries pre-charged on ground and not in-flight.
  • Malaysia - Team Embarker, Universiti Putra Malaysia, for a self-sustaining aircraft cabin concept in which the excess body heat from seated passengers is used as an alternative source of energy to power small electronics in the cabin.

This year's challenge inspired over 6,000 students from 82 countries to register with 618 teams submitting a proposal. The proposals had to cover one of six themes identified by Airbus as key 21st century challenges for a greener aviation industry.

The students will present their ideas to a jury of Airbus and industry experts at Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse on June 12, 2013. The winning team will receive a prize of EUR30,000 and the runners up EUR15,000.

The winners will be announced at an exclusive ceremony at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris on June 14, 2013. UNESCO has given its patronage to the global competition which challenges students worldwide to develop innovative ideas for a more sustainable aviation industry for the future.

Charles Champion, Airbus' Executive Vice President, Engineering and Fly Your Ideas Patron, said, "The entries were assessed by experienced Airbus engineers who were extremely impressed by the quality of work and innovation. These talented students from around the world represent the future of our industry and I am looking forward to welcoming them to Toulouse for the final round."

Throughout the competition, Airbus Mentors and Experts have worked with the teams to provide guidance and support with their projects in addition to a member of staff from their university. The teams are multinational and multicultural and the students are studying a wide range of subjects from mechanical and aerospace engineering to business and design.

In addition to the main challenge, there is a competition for the best Fly Your Ideas video which the public can vote for online at www.airbus-fyi.com . The shortlisted video teams are from Australia, China, Germany, Kenya and Spain.

For further details on the competition and the finalists, and to vote for the best video please visit: www.airbus-fyi.com

Copyright 2013 Normans Media LimitedAll Rights Reserved