Boeing ecoDemonstrator to Test Seat Cushion Sensors, Smart Galley Tools to Reduce Crew Workload

Boeing's ecoDemonstrator program is testing 36 technologies on a 777-200ER jet starting in May 2024. The aim is to improve operational efficiency and sustainability in cabin interiors.

The Boeing ecoDemonstrator projects include:

Airport operations: Testing to enable single-engine taxi and digital taxi clearances to reduce fuel use and enhance safety by reducing pilot workload

Airport noise: Quantifying the benefits of flight operation procedures, like steeper glide slope and continuous descent approach, to reduce community noise, fuel use and emissions

Waste-reducing materials: Lighter, recyclable and more durable floor coverings and recycled carbon fiber ceiling panels – both made with 25% bio-based resin

Noise and weight reduction: Cabin insulation to better reduce noise and regulate humidity and temperature, and fabric-covered acoustic panels for the bulkhead and galley

Future cabin concepts: Economy and business class seats with sensors that detect if someone is seated during taxi, takeoff and landing which can improve safety, and reduce crew workload and downtime for maintenance; a touchless water conservation lavatory; and galley technologies to make cabin service more efficient and reduce food waste

"The Boeing ecoDemonstrator program helps us make tangible improvements to our products – allowing us to reduce the environmental impacts of flying, improve the in-flight experience and strengthen the safety of our airplanes," said Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We're grateful for the many partnerships within aviation and beyond who help us turn the seemingly impossible into reality."

"The ecoDemonstrator program is among our most iconic flight demonstrators, having tested 250 technologies since it first took flight in 2012," said Brian Moran, Boeing Chief Sustainability Officer. "This year's testing of various cabin interiors aims to help solve for the portion of our airplanes that is not reusable or recyclable while also reducing fuel use and crew workload."

Four cabin technologies will be showcased at the 2024 Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg from May 22-24. Since 2012, nearly every Boeing ecoDemonstrator has flown on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This year, the flagship aircraft will use a 30/70 blend of SAF and conventional jet fuel.