空中巴士竞赛展现航空业的创意新点子

Fly Your Ideas 学生挑战赛注重创新的重要性

参加Fly Your Ideas挑战的来自全球多所大学的学生队伍，为未来航空业研发出许多创新点子，其中包括以机身发出的热力来推动的创新飞机，行李装载在浮悬气垫上，以及甚至是以牛粪甲烷气体作为推动力；这些概念都有可能有朝一日被飞机采用。

这些创新概念都是为了参加这项由环球飞机制造商空中巴士举办，联合国教科文组织支持的国际竞赛而研创。这项竞赛旨在挑战学生研发创新构思，确保未来航空业朝向永续发展。空中巴士挑战全球学生开发提高未来航空业生态效能的创新点子，并邀请一个由知名国际创意、工程及设计专家组成的评审团，挑选出5支队伍进入决赛。

决赛队伍将前往法国图鲁茨的空中巴士总部，向评审团呈现他们的概念，以期夺下冠军及赢得3万欧元的奖金。获挑选进入决赛的概念如下：

以体温作为机舱电能(Human body heat powering cabins) –马来西亚Embarker队呈现
 • 当搭客躺下来时，可利用特别装置在舱座椅内的热感材料来吸收体温能量。
• 此能量可充作舱电子仪器的电能，从而降低飞行时的电能需求量。

行李装载在浮悬气垫上(Luggage floating on air) – 巴西Levar队呈现
 • 行李舱利用桌上曲棍球原理装上超轻盈的滑移区，让员工能更快、更易及更安全地装卸行李。
• 搭客领取行李的时间将可加快30%，也更早踏上他们的渡假旅程。

飞机以牛力作为推动力(Planes powered by cow power) – 澳洲CliMA队呈现
 • 以液化甲烷作为永续燃料，装载在飞机引擎旁的一个特制超冷槽内。
• 此永续燃料可减少二氧化碳排放高达97%。

利用变形材料协助降低引擎噪音(Shape shifting materials that help reduce noise) – 印度AVAS队呈现
 •  以变形材料来为引擎进行简单改装，可改变引擎气流及降低噪音。

以电池推动的混合动力引擎(Battery-powered hybrid engines) – 意大利Flybrid队呈现
 • 将形状特别的可充电电池装置在行李舱，协助推动高效能的混合动力引擎。为了优化飞机重量，可胥视飞行里程装上所需的电池。
• 此方案可在短程飞行节省多达60%的燃料，减少40%的二氧化碳排放 。

尽管以牛力作为您从伦敦飞往纽约的飞机燃料，或是利用变形材料来降低引擎音，这些概念也许还要很久的时间才能实现，但距离实现的时间亦不远。

空中巴士执行副总裁，也是工程师兼Fly Your Ideas竞赛赞助人的Charles Champion说：“这些为未来设想的创新概念证明了工程不仅囿限于技术，也与创新思维和方式相关。但是要使到航空业在2020年之前达到零排碳，我们不断需要当前及未来的创新者提出新颖的点子。我们的未来方案如今摆在眼前，透过类似 ‘Fly Your Ideas’的计划，我们可以协助他们提出的未来计划成真。”

类似的创新概念或会受到可能严重打击经济的技术鸿沟威胁。由于全球在2020年及过后需要4000万名熟练工人，届时高科技公司将面对熟练工人短缺问题，而航空业、汽车制造业及医药器材业将有可能受到冲击i。

联合国教科文组织科学策略与能力建筑部总监Lidia Brito说：“如果我们没有办法去鼓舞具备不同技能的新一代工程师，这将对缓慢复苏的环球经济，形成主要的成长障碍。联合国教科文组织最近发表的一项工程报告书指出，许多国家缺乏工程师的现象尤为明显。虽然全球工程系学生人数普遍增加，但报读工程系的学生比例若与报读其他科系的学生人数比较，下跌程度令人担忧。我们需要一些实际的挑战竞赛如Fly Your Ideas，以便激励年轻的创新者，让他们了解到工程学具有潜能发掘实际方案，解决全球当前及未来可能面对的问题。”

Airbus Fly Your Ideas挑战竞赛旨在向年轻创新者凸显这个领域的成长机会，这些年轻创新者可帮助改变世界，共同致力于使到航空业在当前及未来能够永续生存。

参加Fly Your Ideas 2013挑战竞赛的学生，不但获得一名来自空中巴士的导师来引导他们的整个计划，也获得一名他们选择的相关领域的空中巴士专家从旁协助。如此一来，他们将可以透过这次的宝贵体验，去洞悉目前支持超过5600万份工作，35巴仙的全球贸易，全球生产总值高达2.2兆美元的航空业。国际高等教育团体也可从鉴定未来研究与发展的潜能中受惠。

Fly Your Ideas为配合空中巴士在2050年达到永续航空愿景The Future举办的部份活动。竞赛成绩订于6月14日在巴黎举行的一项颁奖仪式上宣布。
进一步详情请浏览：www.airbus-fyi.com。

i资料来源：McKinsey Global Institute, Manufacturing the Future: the next era of global growth and innovation, November 2012

Air travel remains real World Wide Web as Facebook won’t replace face to face

Survey highlights opportunities to improve passenger experience

Airbus reveals the latest findings in a two-year global consultation with more than 1.75 million people which spells out what passengers want from flying in the future: more sustainable; less stressful; and more of it, despite social media revolutionising how we keep in touch.

• 63% of people worldwide say they will fly more by 2050 
• 60% do not think social media will replace the need to see people face-to-face 
• 96% believe aircraft will need to be more sustainable or ‘eco-efficient’ Almost 
• 40% feel air travel (door-to-door) is increasingly stressful

“Aviation is the real World Wide Web,” says Charles Champion, Airbus Executive Vice President, Engineering. “The results of the survey show that there is nothing better than face to face contact. The world is woven together by a web of flights that creates ever-expanding social and economic networks: 57 million jobs, 35 per cent of world trade, and US$2.2 trillion in global GDP.

“Since we launched the Future by Airbus, we have engaged with people in 192 countries in a dialogue about the future of air travel. This resulted in our revolutionary Airbus Concept Plane and Cabin which offer a glimpse into some of the innovations that could meet evolving passenger trends and environmental considerations. It’s clear that people are really excited about the future of sustainable flight and we want them to be part of shaping that future.”

• 86% of people think less fuel burn is key and 85% a reduction in carbon emissions
• 66% want quieter aircraft and 65% planes which are fully recyclable

The Airbus Concept Plane illustrates what air transport could look like in 2050 – even 2030 if advancements in existing technologies continue apace. Airbus experts in aircraft materials, aerodynamics, cabins and engines came up with the design which is an ‘engineer’s dream’ to meet the expectations of the passengers of the future.


But Champion notes that as more people fly more often, the greater their expectations will be for the ‘end-to-end passenger experience.’ The Airbus consultation highlights a predictable list of gripes: queues at passport control; slow check-in and baggage collection; sitting on the tarmac; and circling in holding patterns around airports.

Ultra long and slim wings, semi-embedded engines, a U-shaped tail and light-weight ‘intelligent’ body all feature to further improve environmental performance or ‘eco-efficiency’. The result: lower fuel burn, a significant cut in emissions, less noise and greater comfort.


“In London for example we’ve seen concern about queues at airports and people are understandably not happy about it,” he adds. “But the reality is those capacity constraints are a sign of things to come unless the industry can work together to cut delays, and with aviation set to double in the next 15 years, that’s what we’re looking at.”

The Airbus Concept Cabin later gave insight into the innovations that might shape passenger experiences on board. Personalised ‘Vitalising’, ’Smart Tech’, and ‘Interactive’ zones replace first, business and economy classes; and passengers can stargaze through a transparent wall membrane, from morphing seats that harvest body heat for power.


More than 90 per cent of the €2 billion that Airbus spends on Research & Development is directed at improving the environmental performance of its aircraft. The latest generation includes the flagship A380, the world’s largest yet quietest commercial aircraft; a fuel efficient ‘new engine option’ for the A320 family, the A320neo; and the A350 XWB that will provide a 25 per cent step-change in fuel efficiency whilst giving passengers more space on board.