Those with a fear of flying might find airplanes even more terrifying ten years from now. The Centre for Process Innovation is currently developing technology to help build a windowless commercial plane, in an effort to reduce the weight of the aircraft and save fuel. In lieu of windows, flexible display screens would cover the walls of the cabin, allowing passengers to see outside the plane.
According to the CPI, 80% of the weight of an airplane at full capacity is the plane itself and its fuel. "We had been speaking to people in aerospace and we understood that there was this need to take weight out of aircraft," Jon Helliwell of the CPI told The Guardian. "Follow the logical thought through. Let's take all the windows out— that's what they do in cargo aircraft."
Getting rid of the windows will make the body of the plane, known as the fuselage, lighter. A 1% reduction in weight corresponds to 0.75% less fuel, which naturally leads to fewer CO2 emissions. Less fuel also means lower costs, which could mean cheaper airfare.
The windows would be replaced by something much more technologically advanced. The cabin of the airplane would be covered by flexible display screens made from OLEDs, or organic light-emitting diodes. The screens would project panoramic views from cameras attached to the outside of the plane. Passengers would even be able to adjust their view, so it wouldn't be limited to their seat position. The screen could also be used to watch videos and use the internet.
CPI hopes to develop these planes to be available for commercial use within the next ten years. Their vision for these airplanes of the future is shown in the video below. It looks very cool, although it might be unhelpful if the last thing you want to think about is how you're hurtling through the sky.
