The Eather One is a conceptual design for an aircraft that presents a futuristic solution to the problem of pollution and inefficiency in air travel. Let’s talk a bit more about what the Eather One is, how it would work, where the inspiration for it came from, and whether or not we can see an aircraft like the Eather One any time soon.
The latest trend in aviation is finding new and creative ways to introduce electric and hybrid aircraft into the industry and start up a new kind of space race that eliminates the problems presented by traditional fuel and battery-powered aircraft. The Eather One is a concept for an aircraft that will use air friction to power the jet instead of fuel tanks and batteries. The conceptual aircraft is definitely a futuristic approach and is a few generations away from becoming a reality. But it is still very interesting to think about.
The mind behind the Eather One is none other than Michal Bonikowski. Bonikowski is a product designer, innovator, and author of multiple patents. Based in Warsaw, he has worked with many companies and startups all over to world to design cutting-edge and adventurous products. Since 2000, he has been in the product design industry for over two decades and has made waves worldwide. He has recently also designed a new type of rotorcraft called the Fusion Copter.
The Eather One is just as brilliant and cutting edge as any of the other products Bonikowski has designed. He took inspiration for the Eather One from one of the more recent concepts by Airbus, the Maveric. The Maveric would be an airplane with a large and continuous structure that could afford more cabin capacity and fewer interruptions between the plane’s wings and the rest of the body. As a result, the plane would have greater aerodynamic efficiency and would require less energy to stay in flight. According to Bonikowski, “I have been thinking a lot about this lately and wondered what could happen if Airbus would like to create an electric plane.”
The Eather One would use the high friction created between the aircraft and the air as it reaches high speeds to create renewable energy as it is needed. The main difference between the Eather One and other hybrid aircraft that exists today would be the triboelectric nanogenerators that would be built into the wings of the conceptual jet. The nanogenerators would be responsible for converting mechanical energy from air friction to electrical energy. By generating energy from the air around it, the jet would not have any need for fuel tanks or batteries. This generated energy would power the engine and electric motors, as well as recharge the batteries. The only time there might be a need for these batteries would be at points of low friction and during take-off and landing.
In addition to the reduced use of fossil fuels, another benefit that the Eather One provides is that it will require much smaller onboard batteries than other hybrid aircraft. This will save a lot of weight on the aircraft and increase its overall performance.
So far, the Eather One is just a futuristic concept for an aircraft that may or may not be converted into a tangible product. Triboelectric nanogenerators hold a lot of potential for harvesting energy on a larger scale, such as from vehicular or human motion. A lot of research and study still needs to be done to understand whether or not the Eather One is a concept that can be converted to reality. However, it is a great place to start trying to find solutions to the problems of pollution and inefficiency in modern-day aircraft.
