We might be a step towards that sci-fi future:
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-optical-fiber-bundles-solution-high.html
Free-space optical communications (FSOC), which use lasers for data transmission, are a promising approach for achieving high-speed links between aircraft, spacecraft, and ground stations. However, achieving 360-degree coverage requires multiple articulated terminals installed on the fuselage of aircraft, exceeding size, weight, and power limits.
To address this technical challenge, a research team led by Francesco Nardo from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, investigated a novel solution: using optical fiber bundles (FBs). Multiple FBs could route light from small, external collectors to a single laser communication terminal (LCT) housed inside the aircraft, minimizing redundancy. Their paper, published on September 8, 2025, in the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, experimentally validated the viability of FBs in FSOC receivers.
Maybe flying can be easier:
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-american-airlines-boarding-technology-dfw.html
Imagine a future where you board an American Airlines flight without a gate agent scanning a boarding pass.
That could be a reality during your next trip at DFW International Airport, where the Fort Worth-based carrier is testing electronic boarding gates.
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-optical-fiber-bundles-solution-high.html
Free-space optical communications (FSOC), which use lasers for data transmission, are a promising approach for achieving high-speed links between aircraft, spacecraft, and ground stations. However, achieving 360-degree coverage requires multiple articulated terminals installed on the fuselage of aircraft, exceeding size, weight, and power limits.
To address this technical challenge, a research team led by Francesco Nardo from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, investigated a novel solution: using optical fiber bundles (FBs). Multiple FBs could route light from small, external collectors to a single laser communication terminal (LCT) housed inside the aircraft, minimizing redundancy. Their paper, published on September 8, 2025, in the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, experimentally validated the viability of FBs in FSOC receivers.
Maybe flying can be easier:
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-american-airlines-boarding-technology-dfw.html
Imagine a future where you board an American Airlines flight without a gate agent scanning a boarding pass.
That could be a reality during your next trip at DFW International Airport, where the Fort Worth-based carrier is testing electronic boarding gates.
