- 2 months ago
✈️ Plane crashes are incredibly rare, but even one is too many. Engineers are now testing a new technology designed to prevent the most common causes of aviation disasters. It can react faster than pilots, spot problems humans might miss, and step in before things go wrong. Some experts say it could change flying the same way autopilot once did. Watch this video to see how this tech works and whether it can really make flying crash-proof. Animation is created by Bright Side.
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Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/
Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV
Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz
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Our Social Media:
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https://www.shutterstock.com
https://www.eastnews.ru
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For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me
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This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
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FunTranscript
00:00You're on a plane when suddenly, boom, a loud explosion.
00:04The cabin shakes, alarms blare, and the aircraft tilts sharply before it starts to drop.
00:10Passengers scream, but you try to remember the safety rules for an airplane crash.
00:15Put on your life jacket, but don't inflate it until you're outside the plane.
00:20But what if the plane itself had a life jacket?
00:24I'm talking about something that inflates in seconds right before impact.
00:29Kind of like a giant airbag for airplanes, only this one wraps around the entire fuselage.
00:35When it deploys, the plane basically turns into a big, puffy, Michelin Man cocoon.
00:40I know it looks kind of funny, but that funny-looking idea could actually save hundreds of lives
00:45and change the airline industry for good.
00:49Yep, plane crashes could finally become a thing of the past,
00:52but only if we're willing to make one huge trade-off.
00:56Don't worry, I'll get to that.
00:59In June 2025, Air India Flight 171 took off from Ahmedabad, India, heading to London.
01:06But just seconds after takeoff, it crashed straight into a nearby medical building.
01:11It was heartbreaking.
01:12All 12 crew members and 229 passengers lost their lives that day.
01:18Incredibly, one man, 40-year-old Vishwash Ramesh from the UK, survived.
01:23He'd been sitting in seat 11A, right next to an emergency exit.
01:29According to preliminary investigations, both switches controlling the plane's fuel supply were shut off just seconds after liftoff.
01:37Without fuel, the engine simply didn't have enough power to keep climbing.
01:41Now, imagine the fear the pilots and passengers must have felt, realizing there was no way out.
01:48This tragic event stuck in the minds of two engineers from the Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences in Dubai.
01:55They couldn't stop thinking about it, or about all the lives lost.
02:04So, they decided they had to do something.
02:07One question kept running through their minds.
02:10Why isn't there a system that helps people survive after a plane failure?
02:15Because the truth is, most airplane safety technologies are designed to prevent crashes, but very few help you survive one.
02:23And that's where their idea took off.
02:26They wanted to create something different.
02:29Something that could truly shape the future of aviation.
02:31So, they dove into hours and hours of intense research and development, and came up with a project called Rebirth.
02:40Which they described as the first AI-powered crash survival system.
02:45But the world is already calling it something else.
02:48The Crash Proof Airplane.
02:51Sounds awesome, but how does it actually work?
02:54Well, like I mentioned earlier, it's similar to that good old safety feature we all know from cars.
03:00Airbags.
03:00Only in this case, they don't protect passengers inside the cabin.
03:05Instead, these airbags wrap around the outside of the aircraft, triggered by advanced AI detection systems.
03:12But actually, the project goes way beyond just an inflatable aircraft design.
03:18In total, their system uses five smart technologies to help when a crash is inevitable.
03:23These features can predict crashes, slow the aircraft, protect passengers, and even guide rescuers to the scene.
03:30Time to get into some aviation safety explained.
03:34First, there's AI detection.
03:36The Rebirth system kicks in the moment a plane leaves the ground.
03:40Think of it like having a super intelligent Siri or Alexa on board.
03:44But one with a PhD in airplanes that can practically become the pilot if needed.
03:49This AI constantly monitors altitude, speed, engine performance, direction, fire sensors, and pilot response.
03:58Basically, it's connected to everything happening during the flight.
04:01If something feels off, it raises an alert.
04:05And if a crash becomes unavoidable below 3,000 feet, the system automatically activates and can even take control of the aircraft.
04:13Next up, the airbags.
04:16If there's a system failure and a collision becomes inevitable, the AI activates high-speed airbags.
04:23In less than two seconds, they inflate like a giant piece of popcorn bursting open.
04:28The airbags pop out from the front, bottom, and back of the plane.
04:32Then they blow up until the whole plane looks like a flying bounce house.
04:36This tech is made of layered fabric that absorbs the impact and protects the plane's body.
04:42In theory, this protective padding makes sure the landing isn't too rough, no matter how fast the plane's going.
04:49Next, we've got something called reverse thrust.
04:52It's actually something pilots already do.
04:56Reverse thrust happens when a plane's engines push air forward instead of backward.
05:01And that helps the plane slow down after landing.
05:04But let's say it's a critical situation.
05:07The pilot's unconscious and the engines are still running.
05:10That's when the rebirth system kicks in and automatically switches the engines into reverse mode to slow the descent.
05:17And if the engines are completely out, no worries.
05:21That's when gas thrusters kick in.
05:23These boosters fire up to reduce the aircraft's speed and stabilize it during the fall, cutting the impact force by up to 20%.
05:30Then we've got smart fluids.
05:32These are special materials hidden inside the walls and seats.
05:37They stay soft and comfy most of the time.
05:39But the moment there's an impact, they instantly harden to absorb the shock and protect passengers from getting hurt.
05:46And finally, we have the rescue aids phase.
05:49After impact, the system shoots out an infrared beacon, GPS coordinates, and flashing lights, plus a bright orange coating, so rescuers can spot the plane and reach survivors fast.
06:02For now, it's just a prototype, but a very promising one.
06:05Their simulation showed a reduction in impact force of over 60%, and that could truly be life-changing.
06:13At this point, they've got the data, the simulations, and the design all ready to go.
06:18The next step is to put it through real-world testing, like in wind tunnels and controlled conditions.
06:25And even though everyone's pretty excited to see this airplane's safety technology working, there are still some concerns.
06:31Remember that major trade-off I mentioned earlier?
06:36Well, here it is.
06:38Adding airbags to planes would massively increase their weight, because these airbags would have to be huge to actually reduce the impact forces of a commercial aircraft.
06:48And if they're that big, then they're going to be super heavy too, right?
06:51There are also some concerns about how effective the AI monitoring system would really be.
06:58Experts explain that while AI could sense a plane's proximity to the ground and decide when to deploy safety measures,
07:05there are still many real-time variables to consider when making an off-airport landing.
07:11And as for those giant airbags, adding them to commercial planes would make the aircraft much heavier, which might not be all that practical.
07:19It would require massive innovations in airplane engineering, all to prevent a type of accident that might only happen once in decades.
07:28So yeah, not everyone's totally convinced just yet.
07:32Because we have to remember, airplane crashes are actually very rare, even if it doesn't always feel that way.
07:39Lately, people on social media started coming up with theories that they're becoming more frequent, but that's just not true.
07:46Statistics show that there's been a decline in air accidents over the past two decades.
07:52Experts say you're actually a lot safer flying than you are driving to the airport.
07:57The odds of someone passing away during a commercial flight are incredibly low, about 1 in 13.7 million passenger boardings worldwide.
08:06What I mean is, air travel is still the safest way to get around.
08:10But hey, if we can make it even safer, why not, right?
08:13And that's exactly what the Rebirth Project is all about.
08:17By the way, their idea is so impressive, it became a finalist for the prestigious James Dyson Award, an honor given to inventions that could truly change the world.
08:27And even though their idea could be a winner, the team says fame isn't the goal.
08:32They see this competition as a chance to push their vision forward, to make air travel safer for everyone, and maybe one day, help save lives when everything else fails.
08:43So yeah, there are still some challenges.
08:46But this new safety tech could truly change the airline industry once and for all.
08:51Let me tell you a terrifying story.
08:57You're on a flight, 35,000 feet in the air, sipping coffee, listening to music over your earphones, when suddenly, a hunk of metal the size of a baseball rips through the plane like a bullet from space.
09:10No warning, no escape, just a silent demise falling from the sky at 17,000 miles per hour.
09:18Sounds like a disaster movie?
09:20Perhaps, but it's also a very real scenario, and this should be a wake-up call.
09:25Right now, Earth is being surrounded by thousands of pieces of space junk like non-functioning satellites, rocket parts, or orbital shrapnel.
09:35Most burn up, some don't, and aviation experts warn it's only a matter of time before one of them punches a hole in a plane full of passengers.
09:45Think the sky is empty once you're above the clouds?
09:48Of course not.
09:50In fact, it's busier than ever, from both above and below.
09:54Every day, around 100,000 flights crisscross the globe.
09:59At the same time, thousands of satellites, old rocket stages, and debris fragments are zipping through space just a few hundred miles above your head.
10:09We've basically turned low Earth orbit into a junkyard, and commercial planes are flying just beneath it.
10:16It's like cruising down the highway while someone dumps metal scraps from a bridge overhead.
10:20It might miss you, until it doesn't.
10:24So what exactly is all this flying trash?
10:28It's called space junk.
10:29Basically, all the stuff we once shot into orbit that's now just floating uselessly around up there.
10:35Drifting, waiting to lose enough speed to come back to Earth.
10:39Think non-functioning satellites, spent rocket boosters, metal fragments from past missions, and the occasional wrench or bolt lost during a spacewalk.
10:48Right now, researchers say there are over 2,300 rocket bodies still circling our planet.
10:56And that's just the big stuff.
10:58In total, we're tracking tens of thousands of objects larger than 4 inches, and possibly millions of tiny pieces too small to see, but large enough to cause serious damage.
11:08Here's the scary bit.
11:11This junk zips around Earth at the speed of 17,000 miles per hour.
11:17That's fast enough to turn even a paint chip into a flying projectile.
11:21A piece the size of a coin could pierce a spacecraft or an airplane like paper.
11:28Most junk burns up in a fiery goodbye, but sometimes a stubborn chunk survives the fall.
11:34So far, no commercial airplane has been struck by falling space debris.
11:39Lucky us.
11:40Or lucky you.
11:42I don't fly that often.
11:44But luck doesn't last forever.
11:46There have already been plenty of close calls.
11:49Large chunks of junk have survived re-entry and crash-landed on Earth.
11:54Sometimes near homes, farms, or even highways.
11:58In one case, a pressurized metal fuel tank from a rocket landed in Texas.
12:02In another, a long metal panel dropped into a remote field in Australia.
12:09In 2022, the situation became super serious for a few hours.
12:15Spain and France temporarily shut down parts of their airspace due to an uncontrolled re-entry of a Chinese rocket.
12:22Over 600 flights were delayed because no one could be certain where that chunk of metal might fall.
12:28That was the first time in history that air travel was interrupted because of space debris.
12:33And if current trends continue, it probably won't be the last.
12:38Now, picture that over the U.S. on a holiday weekend.
12:42Jam-packed airports.
12:43Thousands of flights.
12:44And suddenly...
12:46Sorry folks, we might have some heat-resistant screws coming from space.
12:50Flights will be resumed soon.
12:54The problem is that re-entries can't always be predicted with pinpoint accuracy.
12:59Agencies often get just a few hours' notice, and the impact zone could stretch across hundreds of miles.
13:05So, aviation officials face a tough choice.
13:09Close huge chunks of airspace, or roll the dice with thousands of passengers in the sky.
13:14According to recent research, some of the world's busiest airspaces already face a 26% annual chance of being affected by an uncontrolled re-entry.
13:24That's more than one in four.
13:27And not because anyone's being reckless.
13:29It's just because the numbers are exploding.
13:33Over the past decade, the number of objects in low Earth orbit has doubled.
13:38And here's the real danger.
13:39The more crowded space becomes, the higher the chance that debris collides with more debris.
13:46Creating THE even more debris.
13:49It's called Kessler Syndrome.
13:51A kind of orbital domino effect where one collision triggers another.
13:56And another.
13:57Until entire orbits become unusable.
14:00And with companies like SpaceX and national space agencies launching more and more stuff into space,
14:05we could be setting the stage for exactly that.
14:08Meanwhile, back on Earth, we're flying more than ever.
14:12Commercial air traffic has more than doubled since 2000.
14:15That means more people in the air, more planes in flight paths,
14:19and more chances for a tragic overlap between something falling and something flying.
14:25And when that moment comes, there may be no warning.
14:29And if that moment ever comes, we probably wouldn't even see it.
14:33I mean, before it hits the news.
14:34Even with all our fancy satellites, spotting a tiny metal thing dropping out of orbit is nearly impossible.
14:42But again, most debris doesn't make it to the ground.
14:45As these objects plummet through Earth's atmosphere,
14:47the intense heat from re-entry usually causes them to burn up completely.
14:52That's especially true for smaller or lightweight pieces like aluminum fragments or insulation.
14:57Also, even when stuff does survive re-entry, a mid-air collision with a plane is extremely rare.
15:04Planes cruise at 35,000 feet, while falling space junk comes screaming down from hundreds of miles up,
15:11whizzing past that height in seconds.
15:13The chances of a plane being in the exact spot at the exact time are incredibly slim.
15:18It's like tossing a dart from space and trying to hit a mosquito flying across a football field, while blindfolded.
15:26The timing, the alignment, the odds?
15:28Practically zero.
15:29But with more darts and more mosquitoes?
15:33That's why experts are still worried.
15:35The amount of space junk is growing fast.
15:38More stuff falling means more chances for something to go wrong.
15:41And while the odds of a direct strike remain low, the risk of aerospace disruption is very real.
15:50So, can't we just clean it up?
15:52You'd think that with all our high-tech satellites, space stations, and reusable rockets,
15:57someone would have invented a cosmic vacuum cleaner by now.
16:01But space cleanup is way more complicated than it sounds.
16:05For one, the junk is moving fast.
16:07Snagging this stuff is like trying to catch bullets, while being strapped to a rocket yourself.
16:13There's also the size problem.
16:15Some pieces are too small to track, and others are too big to ignore.
16:19Plus, no one can agree whose job it is to clean up the mess.
16:23If a country launches a satellite that later breaks apart and becomes debris,
16:27is it their job to retrieve it?
16:30So far, no one really knows.
16:32Okay, when said like that, it sounds impossible even to me.
16:36But I have faith in scientists.
16:39However, it's not all bad news.
16:42The European Space Agency is pushing for a zero-debris policy for future missions.
16:47They want every satellite and rocket launch to have a built-in plan for getting out of orbit safely.
16:53Meanwhile, scientists are working on robotic grippers,
16:57basically giant space claws that could one day grab junk
17:00and fling it into a controlled burn in Earth's atmosphere.
17:03This goes to show that the problem is understood,
17:06and while difficult, the cleanup is not impossible, if we address it in time.
17:12The sooner we start taking it seriously,
17:14the better the odds that your next flight stays boring and uneventful.
17:18You know, the way flights are supposed to be.
17:21Unless you sit by the window, then it's breathtaking and awe-inspiring.
17:26So the next time you're staring out your airplane window at 35,000 feet, relax.
17:31You're more likely to spill your coffee than get hit by space junk,
17:34or upgraded to first class by accident.
17:38Scientists, engineers, and even robot claws are already on the case.
17:42Space might be messy now, but we've cleaned up bigger messes before.
17:46And with the right moves, we can keep the skies safe for everyone.
17:50And who knows?
17:52Maybe in a few decades, you'll be booking a window seat for a flight out into space.
17:56Just make sure it comes with asteroid or junk insurance.
18:00That's it for today.
18:04So hey, if you pacified your curiosity,
18:07then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
18:09Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the bright side.
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