Invisible Airbus Concept Details New Technology Of 2050

Jun 15, 2011, 15:28 by Sarah Long

Airbus unveiled an invisible plane concept that details "the cabin of the future" Tuesday in a new website, thefuturebyairbus.com

"We had talked previously about a concept plane," Airbus spokesman Clay McConnell told FoxNews.com. "But we haven't really talked in detail about some of the cabin possibilities."

These possibilities include large panoramic views of the world above and below, and seats that form to the passenger's body, can massage, and can provide drinks or vitamins as required, FoxNews.com reports.


"Seats would be morphable, so that you could have a work space or a sleeping space or a visiting space, depending on what you wanted," McConnell told FoxNews.com.

There would no longer be sections divided into first class, business, and economy. Instead, passengers can choose between a Vitalizing Zone, with "organically grown" massaging seats; a recreational Interaction Zone, with pop-up "pods" for private dinners and a holographic gaming wall; and a Smart Tech Zone, where the seats adapt perfectly to individuals' size and shape, PC Magazine reports.

On of the most interesting aspects of these future planes are their transparent fuselages, which boast panoramic views.

"The idea is to have a technology for the fuselage that's a bit like bones of birds that allows to have large spaces that can turn transparent, in order to look outside and 'live' the panorama in which you are flying," Charles Champion, Airbus' head of engineering, told London's Telegraph.

The shape of the plane and wings will also be changed to improve flight.

"The fuselage (central body of the aircraft) is no longer a simple tube but is curved and shaped to provide more internal space for various cabin configurations, with better aerodynamics outside to improve flight," the new Airbus website says. "Longer and slimmer wings better glide through the skies, as the flow of air over the wing surface reduces drag and in turn, improves fuel efficiency."

Although these designs are mostly theory at the moment, Airbus hopes to turn ideas to reality by 2050.