A new patent filed by airplane manufacturer Airbus turns passenger cabins into cargo containers, designed to be inserted and removed as a whole from the vehicle.

Using a docking module, the removed unit would then be transported across the runway and to the airport for passengers to board. Once everyone is in their seats, the cabin would then be taken back to the aeroplane and slotted into place, ready for take off.

“In addition, the boarding method makes the presence of waiting rooms in the aircraft building superfluous, and thus makes possible substantial economies in terms of area,”according to the patent filing. It all makes some intuitive sense, for flyers as well: might as well be seated in advance rather than waiting in the airport.

Aside from that more obvious application, however, the modularity could lend itself to other benefits, including the ability to reconfigure the interiors of planes on demand or over time, by adding or removing seats, lounges or other spatial features. Alternatively, the removed units could tie into other transit systems, becoming cars of an inter-terminal train or even an extra-airport transport truck, following the lead of containerization in the cargo shipping industry.

The post Modular Swappable Plane Cabins to Enable Faster Boarding first appeared on Gajitz.

Folding up for ease of transport, this portable micro-camper looks like a great way to trave by bikel while still sleeping comfortably, but can it deliver what it promises?

The designers of the Wide Path Camper boast its array of appealing features, including fast an easy folding, lots of storage space, a seating area that converts for sleeping, a long life and low maintenance.

However, the shell is 88 pounds without anything loaded into it and also sits quite high, raising questions about both its weight for pulling by bike as well as its center of gravity for tipping.

One has to wonder if, for instance, it might be better to break the design down into two parts to more easily split the load between two people, since either your companion will have to pack separately (leaving the boasted storage space empty) or one person will end up hauling everything.

Over long distances (particularly if hills are involved) the whole thing could be quite challenging to take with you. Alternatively, perhaps the included solar cells could somehow provide power for the camper (which would presumably need tail lights anyway) and help ease the journey. That, or maybe in the end this isn’t built for bikes but for electric vehicles like scooters or motorcycles of some kind. Alternatively, at the other extreme, the best way to use it may just be for urban camping with people towing it while walking to their desired destination.

The post Mobile Micro-Cabin: Bicycle-Towed Camper Built to Sleep 2 first appeared on Gajitz.