Can Flying Sci-Fi Jellyfish Noses Make The Skies Friendly Again?
While many airlines are currently shutting down their systems, laying off employees and most non essential flights have been grounded all over the world, the big fear is that even when the lock-down restrictions are lifted people are going to be very reluctant to fly again. The problem for airlines is going to be public trust. Recent surveys suggest that today many people consider the thought taking an airline flight a major health risk with the potential of stepping into a flying petri dish. Since social distancing is not an option on flights due to the cost factors involved, how can airlines make you feel safe again?
What if there were sensors on the plane that could detect the presence of even the most minute airborne virus loads of say….COVID19? And what if those sensors were powered by living re-engineered primitive brain cells? Crazy right? Sci-Fi right? Nope … it’s real, it’s being developed and it’s probably coming to a airplane and an airport near you within the next year or two. The two companies plan to begin live testing at airports towards the end of 2020.
Airbus is partnering with Silicon Valley biotech firm Koniku to introduce bomb-sniffing sensors to airports and aircraft that may be able to detect viruses such as COVID-19. The announcement comes as travellers grow increasingly wary of air travel due to COVID-19 and airlines begin to mandate that their passengers wear masks when flying.
Koniku has developed a technology that uses living cells to breath the air and to detect smell…its breathing the air and it’s essentially telling you what’s in the air. Koniku founder Oshiorenoya Agabi told the Financial Times. “What we do is we take biological cells, either Hek cells or astrocytes – brain cells – and we genetically modify them to have olfactory receptors.”
These electronic noses, which look like some kind of cyborg jellyfish, may soon be placed around airport terminals, lounges and on the planes themselves. Moreover if this works for airports why wouldn’t it work for restaurant, bars, clubs, schools and any other place where people gather in enclosed spaces.
Finally some good news for travelers, restaurant goers and anyone else who wants to step out of the house in the near future!