Why US Spent Billions of $ to Invent this Hypnotic Landing Technology
American aviation has always been a symbol of ingenuity and speed. But after years of budget crunches, the ‘landing experience' now offers a glimpse into the future of air travel.
The United States Navy and Marine Corps have been the driving force behind most of the major aviation advancements since the inception of the civilian airline industry in the 1930s. In recent years, the aviation market in the country has shifted from metal to composite materials, which reduce the weight of a plane and increase its fuel efficiency. Now, with the rise of virtual reality and augmented reality, the future of aviation lies in the development of lighter, more aerodynamic aircraft.
One of the most significant recent developments is the Navy's X-47B. Dubbed the ‘Baby Shark,' this autonomous drone made its first flight in April 2018. It is equipped with an array of sensors that allow it to navigate and find its target with pinpoint accuracy. The aircraft's makers claim that the X-47B is 27 percent lighter than the average stealth bomber. In other words, it's an aircraft that you want to get in the air as soon as possible.
A team of scientists from MIT lead by Pradeep Buchwalter have developed a similar aircraft. Dubbed the ‘Mikoyan Makoda,' this autonomous quadrotor can take off and land vertically. Thanks to its two nose-mounted rotors, which function as a pair of props, the aircraft is able to reach speeds of up to 40 mph. Its four onboard cameras provide it with 360-degree vision. According to Buchwalter, the main benefits of the Makoda are its light weight, its ability to be relatively inexpensively produced and its vertical-takeoff-and-landing capability.
Composite Materials Redefine The Way We Look At Air Travel
One of the reasons why the future of aviation looks so bright is because of the composite materials that are redefining the way we look at air travel. The rise of light aircraft and high-end personal watercraft, or PWCs, as they are commonly known, is motivated by the simple fact that composite materials allow for greater weight savings than metal aircraft. This in turn drives down the cost of an airplane and increases its efficiency. When you consider that most airlines lose around 11 percent of their value through inefficiency and unnecessary overhead, you can see how this game-changing technology is set to change everything.
For several years, composite materials were used primarily for military aircraft or for the occasional high-end civil aviation venture. But in recent years, the lighter, more aerodynamic shapes that composites enable have revolutionized the look of commercial aviation. Take the B-787, for example. When Boeing introduced this new airplane to the market in 2013, it was the first large jet to feature a sleek, modern shape that integrated wings with a fuselage. In other words, it had a sharp, if elegant, appearance reminiscent of a hungry shark's sleek, stainless steel form.
With these types of aerodynamic designs, what was once considered ‘extraordinary' is now commonplace. Take the Airbus A350, for instance, which is the first of the new generation of superjumbos. Its designers wanted to create something that was ‘extraordinary' even by the standards of a superjumbo. And to achieve this, they turned to composites and the new material technologies that this form of aviation enables. The result is a longer-lasting and more fuel-efficient aircraft that can carry more passengers. In other words, a winning formula for the planet's foremost airline.
Bringing Autonomy To The Skies
While technology has enabled us to realize the benefits of composites for many years, it was the military that really drove the innovation forward. That's because composites enable a greater level of autonomy than any previous generation of aircraft was capable of. More and more frequently, you will see unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, take to the skies. And it's not just restricted to the skies, either. Ships, submarines and even land vehicles are being outfitted with composite materials that enhance their performance while reducing their weight. Some even speculate that one day, autonomous vehicles could replace entire fleets of human-piloted vehicles. Autonomy is the key to the future of transportation.
Hypnotic Landing Technology
One of the reasons why the future of aviation looks so bright is because of the remarkable work being done in the field of ‘hypnotic landing technology.'In other words, a technology that allows an aircraft to land smoothly without the need of a pilot. In the coming years, you will see this technology be integrated into more and more automated cockpits that allow for greater levels of safety and efficiency. For example, the Boeing Skycare system, which was invented in the 1950s, is capable of landing large commercial airplanes without the need for a human flight crew. This is accomplished through the use of a computer, in combination with sensors that enable the plane to identify dangerous situations. If the technology continues to develop as expected, in the coming years we will see a paradigm shift in the way we look at safe and efficient air travel.
As an added bonus, many of these automated systems are highly configurable, which means that they can be updated with the latest software and hardware without the need for a lengthy and costly redesign. This makes them highly adaptable for commercial use and the integration of new technologies, like artificial intelligence, into them. With these advantages, automated piloting is sure to become the standard for the coming years.
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