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Imagine being on a flight where, in place of windows, screens lining the cabin project images of the sky outside. New technology that could help reduce the weight of an aircraft could soon see windowless planes take to the air.
想象一下，你坐在一架飞机上，原本舷窗的位置，现在却嵌着一排屏幕，屏幕上显示的是窗外天空的景色。一种用来减轻飞机重量的新技术，或许将很快让这种“无窗飞机”成为现实。
Plastic display screens for use in aircraft cabins are one of several applications of printable electronics that are being developed at the Centre for Process Innovation in Sedgefield in northeast England, part of the government’s network of technology centres known as “catapults”.
位于英国东北部塞奇菲尔德的工艺流程创新中心(Centre of Process Innovation，简称CPI)正在研发数种基于“印刷电子”技术的应用，其中就包括用在飞机机舱里的塑料显示屏。这一中心是英国政府牵头的、由多个研发中心组成的被称为“弹射器”网络的一部分。
By using conductive inks, printed electronics – technology that has long promised to enliven products from perfume bottles to food packaging – can incorporate electrical circuits in cardboard and plastic for just a few pence per unit. In pharmaceuticals, smart packaging could tell a patient when to take their medication, for example.
通过使用导电墨水，印刷电子技术能将电路集成到纸板和塑料上，每个部件所需成本只要几便士。人们一直以来都认为这种技术能让从香水瓶到食品包装袋的各种产品“活”起来。比如，在制药领域，智能化包装能够告诉患者何时吃药。
But it is the technology’s potential to help aircraft manufacturers create a windowless plane that is causing most excitement at the CPI for now. By replacing windows with an interactive plastic display screen, the weight of the aircraft would be reduced, helping to lower fuel costs.
然而目前在CPI，最让人兴奋的是，这种技术有可能帮助飞机制造商制造一种无窗飞机。用互动式塑料显示屏代替窗户，能减少飞机重量，从而有助于降低燃油成本。
“Getting weight out of a plane is a key [goal] for the industry,” says Tom Taylor, who is part of the management team at CPI.
CPI管理团队成员汤姆•泰勒(Tom Taylor)表示：“对航空业来说，减轻飞机重量是一个关键（目标）。”
While the windowless plane is not a new concept – freight aircraft and military jets tend not to have windows – commercial aircraft manufacturers have put off the idea until now because of concerns it would be unpopular with passengers.
尽管无窗飞机并不是新概念——货运飞机和军用飞机就倾向于不要窗户，但商用飞机制造商却一直没有接纳这个概念，因为担心不受乘客欢迎。
One US aerospace company has announced plans, though. This year Spike Aerospace said it would include a windowless cabin in its Spike S-512 Supersonic Jet, which is due to launch in 2018.
不过，有一家名为Spike Aerospace的美国航空航天公司今年表示，其2018年将会推出的Spike S-512超音速客机，就将配备无窗式机舱。
Vik Kachoria, president of Spike Aerospace, believes the benefits of what he calls the “multiplex digital cabin” will help win over passengers. “They will soon be able to experience a wonderful panoramic view of the outside world,” he says.
Spike Aerospace首席执行官维克•凯乔里亚(Vik Kachoria)相信，他所谓的“多重数字化机舱”会因为好处众多而赢得乘客。他表示：“他们很快就能体验到对舱外世界的绝佳全景式观感。”
However, he says the company plans to include several windows for emergency purposes, which passengers will be able to use for a “quick look” outside.
不过，他也表示该公司计划在机舱上加上几个用于紧急状况的窗户，乘客能用这些窗户“快速扫一眼”外部世界。
