Wed, 01 December 2010
Pod Based Airline Travel
All of this controversy over body-scanner machines, TSA gropings, terrorists, etc... is continuing to motivate me to formalise my concept of Pod Based Airline Travel that's been floating around my mind for the past ten or so years.
The idea is based on a composite of self-storage container modules, port-a-potties and curb-side recycling bins.
The pod:
[0] All planes are designed with their cabins able to accommodate modular sections in the form of pod-like structures.[1] Each passenger flies in a pod which contains an airline-style seat complete with its own set of entertainment/communications systems.
[2] Each pod is designed to contain all the belongings of the passenger as well. Large luggage goes on the bottom and hand-luggage goes in a personal overhead bin. Sensors and passive scanners are built into each pod to detect the presence of explosives.
[3] Each pod can contain an internal explosion of sufficient (as yet unspecified) magnitude.
[4] Each pod can protect the occupant from adjacent explosions.
[5] Each pod can be coupled to another pod to form multi-pod clusters and their "skins" can be removed to allow parties to fly together.
[6] Each pod's seat doubles as its own flushing lavatory.
[7] Each pod has an emergency environmental system.
[8] Each pod has its own chute-recovery and ejection system.
The idea is fairly simple (I'm going to hand-wave some minor details for the sake of "brevity"):
[0] Book your flight[1] A pod that looks like a storage container will be dropped off at your curb. You can book 1-person, 2-person and 4-person pods. Pods can be reconfigured with removable partitions and/or joined together.
[2] Load all luggage into the bottom of the pods.
[3] On the day of flight, a truck will come by to pick up you and your pod.
[4] This truck will drive you to the airport and each pod will be loaded onto the plane through the side. The fuselage of the plane is designed so that one side of the pod actually forms part of the external skin. When a pod in inserted, it pushes a loading-door/cover-flap down. In the event a pod is ejected from its position, the door-flap swings back into position to maintain structural integrity and aerodynamic streamlining.
By delivering passengers pre-configured for flight directly to the aircraft, airport congestion and hassles can be better controlled. Those who elect to shop tax-free in person may have their pod temporarily diverted to a tax-free shop at the airport where they can get out and shop before they're reloaded into their pod for the flight. Others can shop "online" from the computer system of the pod. Their belonging will be loaded into their pod when their pod is loaded onto the plane.
This concept also provides passenger isolation from other passengers as well as from the cockpit crew. Got a terrorist onboard about to blow up the plane? Simply eject them where they can explode harmlessly in the air. The chute-system can optionally be remotely disabled in such circumstances.
Cabin crew may access pods through a central corridor/aisle which also has an automated conveyor belt system for delivery of food items.
I have more logistical details outlined in random notes elsewhere. And I can even take this concept further. For instance, combine this idea with MIT's personal stackable transport vehicles and you have a system by which people could combine car-rental and airline transport.
I should probably be posting this to Halfbakery if someone hasn't already done so.