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BOEING’S FLYING TEST BED
Boeing’s sixth ecoDemonstrator is set to take prototype technologies
out of the lab and into the air, including a connected cabin
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
024 SEPTEMBER 2019
1. MIKE SINNETT, VP OF PRODUCT
STRATEGY AND FUTURE AIRPLANE
DEVELOPMENT AT BOEING
EXPLAINED THE PROJECT, “USING
THE B777 FLYING TEST BED LETS
US LEARN FASTER AND MOVE
FORWARD ON IMPROVEMENTS
MUCH QUICKER AND WITH GREATER
FIDELITY IN DEFINING THEIR VALUE”
2. DIEHL AVIATION IS CONTRIBUTING
EXPERTISE IN INTELLIGENT CABIN
APPLICATIONS, PREDICTIVE HEALTH
MONITORING, CREW FUNCTIONALITY,
DIGITAL PASSENGER SERVICES
AND THE ANALYSIS OF CABIN
DATA, INCLUDING RESEARCH INTO
MATERIALS AND SURFACES
This autumn will see Boeing launch its sixth
ecoDemonstrator flight-testing programme, a
collaboration with industry partners to jointly test
technologies and share learnings that advance aviation
and address real-world challenges for airplane operators
and passengers – from enhancing safety and
sustainability, to improving the flying experience. For
2019, a B777 ecoDemonstrator will be used to assess 50
projects being developed by more than a dozen partners,
under real-world flight conditions.
Passenger experience innovations on board include
a camera system that would provide more passengers
with a view outside the airplane, as well as a potentially
more significant system: connected cabin technologies
that would make lighting, galleys and lavatories ‘smart’,
as well as enabling the monitoring of cabin conditions
such as temperature and humidity to facilitate
automatic adjustments.
The smart cabin includes elements of the iCabin
project as well as some features of Boeing’s connected
cabin. The iCabin system was established in 2018 as a
joint research project between Diehl (also project leader),
Bühler Motor, Jeppesen, KID Systeme and Safran to
FIVE HIGH-TECH AIRCRAFT
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iCabin was a
finalist in the
Visionary Concepts
category of the
2019 Crystal
Cabin Awards
develop a connectivity standard for
networked cabins of the future. They
are supported by associated partners
Boeing, the Baden Württemberg Cooperative
State University, Etihad Airways Engineering
and the Hamburg University of Technology.
iCabin is similar in principle to a ‘smart home’
infrastructure, enabling all connected components to
be digitally managed and controlled through crew voice
commands. iCabin is an integrated, self-contained
ecosystem for the cabin environment, intended to
adaptively respond to the needs of passengers and
crew. The system can also run analytics to help airlines
make accurate decisions to improve cabin efficiency.
The iCabin project recently completed its first design
review ahead of the ecoDemonstrator launch. Flight
tests will include a trip to Frankfurt Airport, where the
cabin technology will be presented to government
officials, industry representatives and STEM students.
The iCabin prototype equipment will also be tested
in the Digital Solutions Lab at Boeing’s facility near
Frankfurt. The research project is expected to complete
on 31 March, 2021.
• 2012: The first ecoDemonstrator, a B737-800,
took off as a partnership with American Airlines
and the FAA. The three-month programme
assessed improvements to wing and engine
efficiency as well as fuel-saving flight
trajectories
• 2014: A B787 flight tested more than 25
technologies, including a wireless sensor
network and micro electromechanical systems
microphones to reduce wiring and weight
• 2015: Boeing collaborated with TUI Group and
NASA on tests on board a B757 to evaluate more
than 15 technologies, including solar and
thermal “energy harvesting” to power electronic
windows
• 2016: A biofuel-powered Embraer E170 was
used to test LIDAR and “ice phobic” paint
• 2018: A FedEx-owned B777F was used to
gather data on 35 technologies including
prototype airplane parts using manufacturing
techniques that reduce material waste
In all, those five airplanes were used to test 112
technologies. More than a third of the
technologies have transitioned to
implementation at Boeing or by programme
partners. Nearly half remain in further
development, while testing on the other projects
was discontinued after learnings were
accomplished.
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