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Two engineers have designed a system that covers planes with giant airbags that are deployed by artificial intelligence (AI) in case of a crash. They claim that the system will form a protective cocoon that will absorb impact upon crashing, thus saving numerous lives. The system, according to the engineers, can even be added to existing planes.
“Project REBIRTH is the first AI-powered crash survival system. It deploys smart airbags, impact-absorbing fluids, and reverse thrust mid-air—turning fatal crashes into survivable landings. A second chance, built into every descent,” the engineers wrote on their website.
“Project REBIRTH was born not in a lab, but from a moment of heartbreak. After the June 2025 Ahmedabad crash, my mother couldn’t sleep. She kept thinking about the fear the passengers and pilots must have felt, knowing there was no way out. That helplessness haunted us. Why isn’t there a system for survival after failure? I shared this with a friend. That emotional storm became hours of research and design. REBIRTH is more than engineering — it’s a response to grief. A promise that survival can be planned, and that even after failure, there can be a second chance.”
The technology behind the plane airbag system
According to Eshel Wasim and Dharsan Srinivasan at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Dubai, the two engineers behind the project, the system “uses five smart technologies to predict crashes, slow the aircraft, protect passengers, and aid rescuers.”
Those technologies include an AI system that monitors things such as the plane’s altitude, speed, and engine status. The AI can also reduce the plane’s speed by using reverse thrust if the engines are still operational. The plane is covered in high-speed airbags deploy from the nose, belly, and tail. It also has soft Non-Newtonian fluids behind walls and seats that harden on impact. The fifth technology involves rescue aids such as a bright orange shell and infrared beacons.
The project is a finalist for the James Dyson Award, an annual competition for designers and engineers. The international winner and sustainability winner of the competition will be announced on Nov. 5.