Engineers propose AI‑driven airbags to protect aircraft in low‑altitude crashes

Engineers at the Dubai campus of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, have proposed an AI‑driven crash survival system that would deploy large airbags from an aircraft’s nose, belly and tail to protect passengers and structure during unavoidable low‑altitude impacts.

Dubbed Project Rebirth, the concept pairs sensor arrays and decision‑making software with high‑speed inflation hardware and impact‑absorbing materials. The designers say the system continuously monitors altitude, speed, engine status, heading, fire and pilot response and is programmed to trigger automatically when a crash is judged unavoidable below 3,000 feet; a pilot override would still be possible, they add.

According to the engineering team, rapid‑deploy airbags stored in aircraft skin or internal housings would inflate in less than two seconds and form a protective cocoon around the fuselage. The bags, made of layered fabric, are intended to absorb impact energy between the aircraft and ground. The designers also propose impact‑reactive fluids behind cabin walls and seats that remain soft during flight but harden on sudden deceleration to limit occupant movement and injuries.

Project Rebirth’s control software is described by its creators as the first ‘‘AI‑powered crash survival system’’ for fixed‑wing aircraft. If engines retain thrust capability during an emergency, the system would command reverse thrust to slow descent; if engines have failed, small gas thrusters are proposed to stabilise attitude and reduce vertical speed before contact. The inventors say the system could be retrofitted to existing airframes or integrated into new designs and that they are seeking partnerships with aerospace laboratories for further testing.

The concept was submitted by students Eshel Wasim and Dharsan Srinivasan and is among the finalists for the James Dyson Award, an annual international design competition for university‑level students and recent graduates. Dyson judges will reduce entrants to a shortlist of 20 to be announced Oct. 15, with an international winner to be named Nov. 5 and awarded £30,000 and business‑launch support.

The team said Project Rebirth was inspired by the June 12 crash of Air India Flight 171 near Ahmedabad, India, which killed 260 people. Investigators have said both fuel control switches were cut off, causing the aircraft to lose power and crash seconds after takeoff; inquiries into the precise cause remain under way. "After the June 2025 Ahmedabad crash, my mother couldn’t sleep," one of the engineers said. "She kept thinking about the fear the passengers and pilots must have felt, knowing there was no way out. That helplessness haunted us." The designers added that the system was "born from grief" and called Rebirth "not just innovation, it’s a promise: even when all systems fail, people still deserve a chance to live."

Aviation safety systems have traditionally focused on preventing accidents through improved design, redundancy, and pilot training. The Project Rebirth team argues that relatively few measures exist to increase survivability when a crash cannot be avoided. The engineers note that practical deployment would require extensive testing, certification and integration work, and that potential effects on ground structures during a cushioned landing would need evaluation.

Experts in aerospace engineering and regulatory authorities typically require rigorous structural, system‑integration and human‑factors testing before fielding major aircraft modifications. The inventors have stated their intent to work with aerospace labs to validate performance and safety, including the AI decision logic, inflation reliability, structural attachment points and post‑deployment evacuation procedures.

Project Rebirth joins a range of student inventions entered this year in the James Dyson Award, which also includes projects such as a 3D‑printed artificial reef, a syringe sterilisation device and sustainable materials that convert ultraviolet light to usable energy. The Dyson competition offers a platform for design concepts to attract funding and industry partnerships; whether Project Rebirth advances beyond conceptual design will depend on technical validation, regulatory review and industry interest.