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| Easyjet develops flying robots to inspect aircraft | Easyjet develops flying robots to inspect aircraft |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Easyjet has said it is developing drones to inspect its fleet of Airbus aircraft, and may introduce the flying maintenance robots as early as next year. | Easyjet has said it is developing drones to inspect its fleet of Airbus aircraft, and may introduce the flying maintenance robots as early as next year. |
| The drones will be used to scan and assess Easyjet planes and report damage back to engineers. | The drones will be used to scan and assess Easyjet planes and report damage back to engineers. |
| The flying robots are being developed by a team that includes experts from the University of Bristol. | |
| Easyjet is also developing virtual reality video technology. | |
| In addition, Easyjet wants apps for maintenance, and the airline is fitting "paperless plane" technology. | |
| Durable laptop computers will replace printed navigational charts in planes. | Durable laptop computers will replace printed navigational charts in planes. |
| "We have examined and assessed cutting edge technology across many different industries and are now applying a range of new technologies to the aviation sector for the first time to help us run our fleet of aircraft more effectively, efficiently and safely," said chief executive Carolyn McCall. | |
| Easyjet plans to test the drones within coming months. | |
| "Aircraft inspection is a great application for drones," said Dr Arthur Richards, head of aerial robotics at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. | |
| "Coupled with smart navigation and computer vision, they can get accurate data from really awkward places." | |
| The flying robots are being developed by Bristol Robotics Laboratory, a collaboration between University of Bristol and the University of West England. | |
| Drone company Coptercraft and software company Measurement Solutions are also involved in the project. | |
| Virtual reality | |
| Easyjet is also hoping to use virtual reality to help sort out technical problems with planes that are a long way from its engineering team. | |
| At the moment engineers and pilots email pictures and call easyJet's Operations Control Centre to try to resolve issues over the phone. | |
| But Easyjet is planning to use hi-tech glasses that can relay images back to base. | |
| The airline wants to use the technology in airports such as Sharm el Sheikh and Tel Aviv. | |
| Interesting drones | |
| There has been a surge in interest in drones in recent years, and they are being developed for a variety of uses. | |
| The United Arab Emirates wants to use small government drones to provide services, like ID-card delivery, by next year. | |
| Google bought solar-powered drone maker Titan Aerospace in April to help the firm's efforts to expand internet access. | |
| Amazon is in the process of testing drones for deliveries, and a photographic drone that uses a dog-lead as a fail-safe has been developed. |