Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has started in-flight trials of Internet of Things (IoT) connected cabin technologies on board an A350-900 Flight Lab aircraft – to be shortly revealed to customers.
Airbus claimed in a press release that this experiment made it the first aircraft manufacturer to undertake such flight-testing of actual connected cabin innovations.
Called the ‘Airspace Connected Experience’, the Airbus IoT platform was unveiled at APEX Expo last year. According to the aircraft manufacturer, it will “usher in a new personalised experience for passengers and provide opportunities for improving airlines’ ancillary revenues and operational efficiencies.”
The Flight Lab is one of the original A350-900 certification flight-test aircraft – MSN002. It is fitted with an Airspace cabin to evaluate the new connected cabin technologies in flight. To this end, and in conjunction with Airbus’ best-in-class cabin partners, an initial set of working elements have been installed, including prototypes of the connected iSeat (Recaro), the Connected Galley (gategroup), a remote wireless cabin management control system, a large OLED display and the new “IoT backbone” which includes an open software platform.
In particular, the tests allow the various elements to be operated and monitored during a normal flight cycle, especially with regard to the end-to-end data flow robustness within the systems and between them. The next steps will continue testing of the current setup, then close the feedback loop with airlines using Airbus’ Customer Experience Teams (CET) forum, by around year-end, said Airbus.
Image Credit: Airbus