metaAIR: Revolutionizing Aviation Safety with Nanotechnology

George Palikaras' Innovative Design Offers Advanced Laser Protection for Pilots

Palikaras' inspiration stemmed from his frequent flying experiences and his awareness of the increasing incidents of laser strikes in sports and aviation. With over 75,000 laser strikes since 2009 leading to eye injuries and flight delays, Palikaras felt compelled to create a solution. Leveraging his research background in nanotechnology and his passion for aircraft mechanics, he developed a prototype that caught the attention of Airbus, NATO, and several airlines.

What sets metaAIR apart from other designs is its unique combination of high transparency, high blocking efficiency, and zero color distortion. This is achieved through proprietary holographic nanopatterned films. The eyewear arms are designed to fit under a pilot’s headset, and the frame is made from impact and chemical-resistant TR90LS-7 premium nylon. The design also includes custom photopolymers to create a triple layer volume-holographic optical filter which blocks red, green, and blue colors.

The design process involved several iterations with pilots and utilized technologies such as SLA 3D printers and CAD. The final design was locked in 2017, and the product prototype debuted at the Farnborough Airshow in the summer of 2018. The project started in 2014 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, with initial flight testing and Airbus pilot feedback beginning in 2015 in Toulouse, France.

metaAIR's research is multidisciplinary, encompassing material science, human factors, optics, nanotechnology, aeronautics, and medical fields. Over $10 million was used to perfect metaAIR for safe use in aviation. A new nanofabrication method called holography was developed and patented. More than 200 hours of flight and ground lab tests were conducted with over 300 participants, resulting in 13 product design iterations.

Despite the challenges faced, such as understanding how color distortion affects a pilot’s ability to fly an aircraft and scaling to an industrial process, the team developed new manufacturing tools that achieved 0.5nm accuracy with high repeatability, achieving record performance. The result is a new, premium laser-glare protection eyewear, designed as a defensive tool against harmful and dangerous laser strikes. In Fall 2018, MTI signed an exclusive global distribution agreement with SATAIR, to bring the product to market in Spring 2019.

For this innovative design, Palikaras was awarded Silver in A' Safety Clothing and Personal Protective Equipment Design Award in 2019. This award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. It is a testament to the remarkable level of excellence that metaAIR represents, and the positive impact it is set to have on aviation safety.