KEY POINTS:
- According to the James Dyson Award project page, Project REBIRTH is “the first AI-powered crash survival system” that “deploys smart airbags, impact-absorbing fluids, and reverse thrust mid-air”
- Eshel Wasim told the James Dyson Award that the project was inspired after “the June 2025 Ahmedabad crash” when his “mother couldn’t sleep”
- The system can “reduce impact force over 60%” according to simulations mentioned in Interesting Engineering
Two engineering students from BITS Pilani’s Dubai campus have developed an experimental aircraft crash survival system that could transform aviation safety, according to the James Dyson Award project page. The system, called Project REBIRTH, appears among the James Dyson Award 2025 entries, as reported by designboom on August 7, 2025.
The Technology Behind Project REBIRTH
According to the James Dyson Award project page, Project REBIRTH uses “five smart technologies to predict crashes, slow the aircraft, protect passengers, and aid rescuers.” The system’s AI monitors “altitude, speed, engine status, direction, fire, and pilot response,” as stated on the award website.
If a crash is deemed unavoidable when the aircraft is below 3,000 feet, the system activates automatically, though pilots can override it, according to the James Dyson Award documentation. Interesting Engineering reported that “airbags deploy from the nose, belly, and tail in under two seconds.”
The James Dyson Award project page states that the airbags are “made of layered fabric” and “absorb impact and protect the plane’s body.” According to Interesting Engineering, these airbags are constructed from “layers of Kevlar, TPU, Zylon, and non-Newtonian smart fluids.”
Deceleration and Rescue Features
The system includes multiple deceleration mechanisms. According to the James Dyson Award documentation, “If engines work, reverse thrust slows descent. If not, gas thrusters activate.” The project page reports this “reduces speed and stabilizes the plane by 8–20%.”
For rescue operations, the James Dyson Award page describes “A bright orange shell, GPS, infrared beacons, and exit lights” that “help rescuers locate the crash site.” The system “can be added to existing planes or built into new ones,” according to the award documentation.
Prototype Development and Testing
Interesting Engineering reported that “The BITS Pilani team has built a 1:12 scale prototype” that “combines sensors, microcontrollers, and carbon dioxide canisters, all managed by AI software.” According to the same source, “Computer simulations show that this concept can reduce crash impact by over 60 percent.”
The James Dyson Award project page states that the team “designed AI-triggered airbags at the nose, belly, and tail” using “COâ‚‚ canisters, Raspberry Pi sensors, and staggered deployment logic.” The documentation notes that “REBIRTH is ready for scaled testing, with schematics, simulations, and materials data prepared.”
The Tragedy That Inspired Innovation
The project emerged from personal tragedy following the June 2025 Ahmedabad air disaster. According to the James Dyson Award page, Eshel Wasim stated: “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.”
CNN reported on June 12, 2025, that “At least 290 people are feared to have died after a plane bound for London crashed into a residential area shortly after taking off from an airport in India’s western city of Ahmedabad.” Wikipedia’s entry on Air India Flight 171 states that “All 12 crew members and 229 of the 230 passengers aboard died” and “On the ground, 19 people were killed and 67 others were seriously injured.”
Al Jazeera reported on July 17, 2025, that “both engines of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner lost power during the initial climb” approximately “40 seconds after taking off.” NPR reported on June 12, 2025, that this was “the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to the Aviation Safety Network.”
Student Innovators Behind the Project
According to designboom, the project was created by “Eshel Wasim and Dharsan Srinivasan from BITS Pilani (Dubai).” StartupIndiaX identified the lead creator as “Eshel Wasim Akbar Ali,” noting both students are from “BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus.”
Wasim told the James Dyson Award: “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.”
Industry Reception and Future Plans
Popular Science quoted Jeff Edwards, described by Interesting Engineering as “a retired US Navy bombardier and aviation safety consultant,” who said: “This sounds like an interesting idea BUT airline disasters that this airbag system is intended to mitigate would mean that future aircraft would all be carrying the additional weight and other compromises to mitigate one accident in 20 years.”
According to the James Dyson Award project page, the team plans to “build working models of REBIRTH’s main parts” and “test them in labs with experts using wind tunnels and drop tests.” The documentation states they want to “partner with plane makers, safety groups, and governments to get certified.”
The James Dyson Award page reports that in five years, the team wants “REBIRTH to be tested, approved, and used in real flights—making crash survival a standard, not a miracle.”
Award Competition Context
L’Unione Sarda English reported that the project “is a finalist for the prestigious James Dyson Award, which recognizes inventions that can change the world.” According to Tech Edition on March 12, 2025, “Since its launch in 2005, the James Dyson Award has provided over S$1.6 million in prize money to support more than 400 student inventions worldwide.”
The Dyson UK website stated that the 2025 competition received “more than 2,100 entries from 28 countries and regions.” According to Tech Edition, “Winners selected by Sir James Dyson will receive a grand prize of S$50,500.”
The James Dyson Award Twitter account announced on an unspecified date that “82 projects are redefining innovation through engineering” among the 2025 national winners and runners-up.
