0:00:05 > 0:00:09No, we haven't made a spelling mistake - this is Technobytes.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11It's Technobabble for people on the go.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15And don't worry, we've still got our randomly-named messaging app.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Vlogster, what is the future of
0:00:17 > 0:00:18- flying?- Thanks Rachel.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Who shall I send out on this one?
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Frankie - he often finds it hard to keep his feet on the ground.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28I'm sending Frankie to see the world's largest aircraft.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31It uses plane, helicopter and airship technology,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34and is being put together in a hangar in Bedfordshire.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37This is Chris Daniels, a flight techspert who is helping
0:00:37 > 0:00:41get this mammoth aircraft off the ground.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Wow, Chris, this thing is massive. What is it? Is it an airship?
0:00:44 > 0:00:47It's not an airship, it's a hybrid aircraft,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51it's called the Airlander, and it's a mix between an aeroplane's
0:00:51 > 0:00:53wing and an old-fashioned airship.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55So, why does it have these three sections?
0:00:55 > 0:00:58This is actually the back of it. That's where the engines go.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00But also it means that we're spread out,
0:01:00 > 0:01:04so we get maximum aerodynamical wing-shaped lift from it.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05Amazing. So when are we taking off?
0:01:05 > 0:01:07We're still assembling it, so we're not quite ready.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09But let's go and take a look.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17I feel like an insect next to this. It's absolutely huge.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20- How big is it, exactly?- Well, it's the world's largest aircraft.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25- Really?- It's 92 metres long, 45 metres wide, so that's the size of a
0:01:25 > 0:01:28football pitch, and it's 26 metres high,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31- which is probably about a ten-storey building.- Wow.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34And I've noticed as well that it's not actually touching the ground.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35Is it floating right now?
0:01:35 > 0:01:37It is floating. It's filled with helium,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40which is the same stuff that keeps party balloons up.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44And there's about a million party balloons worth of helium in
0:01:44 > 0:01:45there right now.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49So, if it's like a giant balloon, does that mean it could pop?
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Well, no. It's made of special super-strong material.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55I've got some in my pocket, here. And you can't rip it.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57I'll give it a go.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Come on, Frankie, give it some welly.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02Vlogster, I'm really trying, here!
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Nope. That's not happening.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09So, how do you fly this giant balloon?
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Well, let's go and visit the cockpit and find out.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19How does this differ from flying a plane?
0:02:19 > 0:02:23We can land and takeoff from anywhere, including water,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27and that gives us lots of different capabilities,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30tasks that we can do that aeroplanes can't.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32How long can it stay in the air for?
0:02:32 > 0:02:36We can stay airborne for up to three weeks at a time.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Three weeks, that's incredible.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41- And will you be able to take passengers, eventually?- Absolutely.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43There'll be an amazing experience because you'll be able to
0:02:43 > 0:02:46open the windows so you can see everything.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50We'll be... About two or three years and we'll have a passenger variant.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53And to give Frankie a flavour of what it's like to fly this
0:02:53 > 0:02:56aircraft, he's going to meet chief test pilot
0:02:56 > 0:02:59David Burns, and take the controls.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03So, David, I'm sitting here in this simulator and I'm not quite
0:03:03 > 0:03:04sure what's going on.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08As you see, we're over San Francisco - simulated - and you're
0:03:08 > 0:03:10flying along quite nicely at about 3,000ft.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11This is really cool.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14You're doing a good job, you're maintaining absolutely level,
0:03:14 > 0:03:15we're flying along,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17the picture's not changing so we're flying nice and level,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and we're just in a gentle left-hand turn, which is nice.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24So, David, at the moment I'm just using this control stick here,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27and the thrusters over here. But there are a lot of switches.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Do you have to know what all of them are?
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Fortunately, most of them are labelled, but they are all...
0:03:31 > 0:03:33- FRANKIE LAUGHS - ..so you get used to what they are.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36You know what, David? I think I'm getting the hang of this.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37But I can't imagine what it must be like to feel
0:03:37 > 0:03:39the power of the engines.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Let's go outside and we'll let you experience that for yourself.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44No way(!)
0:03:46 > 0:03:47Tell me a bit more about these bad boys.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50The produce 350 horsepower each,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52and they've got butterfly veins on the back,
0:03:52 > 0:03:56which are like car blowers, so you can push the air upwards,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59downwards, right or left, and basically go anywhere you like.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00And even hover.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02They're not very noisy, but they're a little bit noisy,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04so you better take some of these.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Brilliant.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Right. Let's go.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18ENGINE HUMS
0:04:21 > 0:04:25OK, Vlogster, sign me up for a ticket.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Here's some tech that is ready for takeoff, Frankie-boy.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Is it a bird? Is it a plane?
0:04:31 > 0:04:35No - it's Jetman, aka Swiss pilot and aviation stuntman, Yves Rossy.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37These purpose-built jetpacks have
0:04:37 > 0:04:40two-and-a-half metre wide Kevlar wings,
0:04:40 > 0:04:46are powered by four jet engines, and can fly at 160mph.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49That is some serious tech, Vlogster. What else has got wings?
0:04:49 > 0:04:52The next big thing is electric planes.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54French techsperts have developed the e-fan,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57an almost emission-free and silent aircraft.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00With over 100 successful test flights,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03the e-fan has a range of about an hour.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04Loving your work, Vlogster.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Loving your work too, Frankie. That was "high"-ly informative.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10Hee-hee-hee.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12And now we've got another information seeker
0:05:12 > 0:05:14wanting to take flight.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Vlogster, could we get super-sight
0:05:16 > 0:05:18like a superhero?
0:05:18 > 0:05:19Great question, Oliver.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23I've actually no "eye"-dea.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24Let's see what I can find out.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26First up, X-ray vision.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30German carmakers have been trying this out in prototype vehicles.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Using augmented-reality glasses to overlay information to drivers such
0:05:34 > 0:05:38as speed, directions, and points of interest onto the road ahead.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42But the clever bit happens when the driver looks sideways.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Cameras on the outside of the car display a
0:05:44 > 0:05:48video feed of what's going on. As if the doors aren't there at all!
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Just like the driver is wearing X-ray specs.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54The idea is that this tech could make tricky parking
0:05:54 > 0:05:56a thing of the past.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Next, enhanced vision.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02A Canadian company have developed a miniature optic implant that
0:06:02 > 0:06:06gives you three times better than perfect vision.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09And it helps you shift focus from close to far away faster than
0:06:09 > 0:06:11a blink of an eye.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Similarly, Swedish researchers have developed contact lenses that can
0:06:15 > 0:06:18zoom in like a camera lens when you wink - to get you three times
0:06:18 > 0:06:20closer to the action.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23And American techsperts are developing electronic
0:06:23 > 0:06:28contact lenses that will give you humans all sorts of extra abilities,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30from testing the levels of glucose in your body,
0:06:30 > 0:06:35to an in-built camera, and even special night vision.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Finally - cyborg vision.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have
0:06:42 > 0:06:45created intelligent computer recognition software that can
0:06:45 > 0:06:48identify a huge array of common objects.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51When the software is combined with electronic smart glasses,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55it will give you humans the power to find and locate almost
0:06:55 > 0:06:58anything with complete ease.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00If you booted your ball away and can't spot it,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04just put on your glasses and they'll highlight exactly where it is,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06in a cyborg-like display.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09You won't even bat an eyelid! See!
0:07:11 > 0:07:13I can SEE where that technology is going.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17But one thing I don't need cyborg-vision to see is the end of
0:07:17 > 0:07:18the show.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19Cos it's here - see ya!