(Micropelt GmbH: Freiburg, Germany) -- Aircraft maintenance will be easier in the future, with sensors monitoring the aircraft skin. If the sensors detect any dents or cracks they will send a radio message to a monitoring unit. The energy needed for this will be obtained from thermoelectric generators that create energy from temperature differentials.

If a bird collides with a plane the consequences can be fatal, and not just to the bird. The impact can deform the structure of the aircraft fuselage, causing stresses in the material, which can later turn into cracks that compromise the aircraft's integrity. In the future, sensors in the aircraft skin will detect such damage at an early stage and simplify maintenance and repair work. The sensors are light—they don’t need any cables or batteries. They draw their energy from the temperature difference between the outside air (about -20°C to -50°C) and the passenger cabin (about 20°C). Because there are no batteries to change, the sensors can be located at inaccessible places on the aircraft.

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