THIS ELECTRIC PLANE HARNESSES THE ENERGY OF THE WIND AS AN CLEAN POWER SOURCE
Designed by Warsaw based designer, Michal Bonikowski, this aviation concept looks to alternative environmental methods for power ....
In the race to design to design the next generation of aircraft, many aircraft manufacturing companies are focusing on developing electric and hybrid-powered aircraft however, Warsaw-based designer, Michal Bonikowski, has came up with a potentially revolutionary aeronautical project, which could undermine the need for traditional engines, bulky fuel tanks, and large batteries for propulsion.
The concept, called “Eather One,” uses friction between the air and the high speed of the machine as the main energy source that can be recycled as needed.
Taking inspiration from one of Airbus’ Birds of Prey Concept- called Maveric, the Eather One is equipped with tribo-electric nanogenerators on the wings to help harness external mechanical energy – the friction generated from vibrations in the air-frame and bend of the wings. These nanogenerators then convert mechanical energy directly into electrical energy.
In this way, the Eather One will have the advantage of being able to contain much smaller batteries on-board than those of current projects. This will save weight, providing a further increase in overall performance. However, Bonikowski admits that the concept of this plane requires a certain amount of batteries when there is no friction, such as when take-off and landing. In this case, the aircraft will need some battery packs in order to complete them.