Airbus, one of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers, is giving students the chance to find the best flying experience with green technology, according to the Daily Beast.
The company announced the winner of its biannual Fly Your Ideas challenge on Friday, a competition to encourage college students to come up with innovative ideas about green technology and improvements for the airline industry.
"We want to fly at the minimum cost, and also in a more environmentally friendly approach," Charles Champion, the executive vice president of engineering at Airbus, said. "This is why we do the initiative, to look at future endeavors and develop a vision.
"It's a means to engage the generation of students today in order to make them part of the solution and engage them in awareness around aviation," he continued.
Ideas were submitted from 618 teams around the world. The competition consisted of three rounds, including a presentation and video creation phase. The winner was Team Levar from the University of Sao Paolo in Brazil. They pitched the idea of a smoother way to transfer luggage from an airplane truck to the cargo compartment of a plane. Their suggestion was to do it via air, similar to the way a puck moves on an air hockey table. The idea the students presented would decrease friction and time for the transfer, allowing planes to run closer to schedule. The team won a prize of 30,000 Euros.
"Their concept responded perfectly to the challenges and embodies the sort of disruptive innovation the Fly Your Ideas competition is about," Champion said. "They delivered a convincing and creative presentation, demonstrating teamwork, and their idea for floating luggage on a bed of air has great potential to simplify ground operations and improve the passenger experience of the future."
The purpose of the challenge is to encourage ideas from students that could benefit the aviation industry, as well as to teach students that sustainable techniques shouldn't be overlooked when improving technology.
"When we introduce new materials we think about recyclability, and aircraft management, because if you look at the waste in the industry you really waste a lot," Champion said. "I think that now more and more, the environmental changes are part of the airport, like weight."
"It's something to think about in engineering and elsewhere," Champion said.
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