Crash d'avions : des scientifiques ont développé des immenses airbags du futur pour éviter les drames humains
A giant airbag to save some planes from fatal collisions? This rather unusual proposal calls for equipping aircraft with a safety system that would encompass the entire craft. Here's how this futuristic system works.
A revolution in aviation safety? To limit human risks in the event of a plane crash, two researchers from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Dubai have developed a project called " REBIRTH ." It promotes the use of airbags... but not for passengers. Here's how.
This proposal, which boasts of being the first to rely on AI to minimize the risks of material damage and human catastrophe in the event of an aircraft failure, highlights the deployment of airbags surrounding the entire aircraft , as they diagram below.
When this intelligent safety system judges certain data (loss of control, speed, altitude or power, for example) to be alarming, it triggers an emergency protocol which consists of deploying external airbags.
These allow, thanks to the absorbent fluids of which they are composed and via a thrust reversal in mid-flight, to "transform fatal crashes into survivable landings", as the two researchers Eshel Wasim and Dharsan Srinivasan write.
Specifically, "REBIRTH" relies on five intelligent technologies. First, to anticipate accidents, this technology analyzes data in real time. The AI developed by the researchers monitors numerous parameters: altitude, speed, engine status, direction, fire risk, and even the pilot's reaction.
Then, from a technical point of view, the airbags imagined are designed to be highly responsive: they deploy from the nose, belly, and tail of the aircraft in less than 2 seconds. "Made of multi-layer fabric, they absorb shocks and protect the hull of the aircraft," explain Eshel Wasim and Dharsan Srinivasan.
If the engines are not affected, they are used in addition to provide reverse thrust and thus slow the descent, for greater safety. Otherwise, gas thrusters are activated to achieve the same effect. Thanks to this, the engineers calculated that they would gain stabilization ranging from 8 to 20%, potentially crucial for allowing the aircraft to land successfully.
Finally, intelligent fluids, described as "non-Newtonian," allow them to be both flexible and perfectly fit the shape of the aircraft, but also, and above all, have the particularity of hardening upon impact to reduce shocks and thus potential passenger injuries. Numerous rescue aids are also designed before a forced landing, far from an airport: "a bright orange hull, a GPS, infrared beacons, and exit lights help rescuers locate the crash site," The James Dyson Award website states.
If "REBIRTH" wants to make survival in the event of a plane crash "a standard and not a miracle," it is in particular the terrible tragedy of the Air India 171 plane that inspired the two engineers. In June 2025, this plane, which was supposed to connect Ahmedabad to London, fell to the ground only 32 seconds after takeoff. All 12 crew members and 229 of the 230 passengers died in this disaster.
Commentaires (19)
Encore un projet qui ne marchera pas.
Cela donne plus de prises, avec une possibilité de s'accrocher à des arbres ou autres.
On voit aisement un premier contact, un rebond , tours en montant dos vers le bas et descendant ventre vers le sol.
Il peut s'immobiliser sur le nez, ou la queue comme une fusée sur sa rampe.
Autant enrouler ma tete dans un grand boubou et de vieux rideaux, et courir traverser l'autoroute, à vive allure, espererant m'en sortir par la grace d'Allah.
Est-ce vous, ça va la tete ?
Et pire, ce mecanisme qui va aider au deploiment, necessite sans doute une reaction chimique violente pour gonfler.
Ca peut se produire de maniere intempestive.
Apres le desastre, votre soi-disant Intelligence Artificielle là, elle se contentera de vous dire "Ohh Zut !' ou quelque chose du genre.
Non, merci, sans façons 😐️
J'ai un peu d'avance, j 'attends le prochain vol . Cool ! 🤗
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