What does it take to achieve sustainable aviation? How to accelerate innovation? And what can we do for existing aircraft? In this Pioneering Tech video, Rinze Benedictus (Professor Aerospace Materials and SAM XL board chairman) and Marios Kotsnois (Professor Flow Control) explain which steps we can take and what challenges we need to overcome.
You can build a fantastic, sustainable airplane. But if there’s no airfield where it can re-fuel, because it’s hydrogen powered, and if it can’t land, then it won’t be used. You’ve just created a museum piece. The entire system must be addressed. And there is urgency: improving efficiency is much-needed in the European aviation industry, which has to become C02-neutral by 2050. SAM XL is stretching the boundaries of manufacturing to develop lighter, sustainable materials and to develop smart robotic systems for the aviation industry.