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19
innovations
Smart technology for business people in
the office, at home and on the move
Paper reduction to save
easyJet $500,000 in
fuel costs
For easyJet, an aircraft is just another workplace that
needs to be managed in the most efficient manner. As
in conventional office environments, this increasingly
means replacing paper with digital processes.
The budget airline has calculated that each of the
220 Airbus aircraft in its fleet carries about 25kg of paper
forms, checklists and manuals, and that replacing these
with digital alternatives could save half a million dollars
in fuel costs, plus the expense of copying and distributing
paper documents to the company’s 24 bases.
As part of a paper reduction strategy, easyJet initially
replaced laptops and printed navigational charts in its
cockpits with 10.1in Panasonic Toughpad tablets.
Now that that process is complete, it has started to
replace paper forms used by cabin staff with digital ones
that can be filled in on electronic devices like Sony’s
Digital Paper and saved to a central database.
Captain Brian Tyrrell, easyJet’s head of flight
operations, said: “Eradicating paper on-board is an
important step in reducing weight but it also means
we can improve the speed and efficiency of our
communications by remotely saving information and
providing crew with up-to-date information.”
EasyJet is also assessing how engineering staff
can use augmented reality technology to minimise
passenger delays and enhance safety. It has recently
trialled Epson Moverio BT-200 glasses, which enable
remote engineering teams to see exactly what a pilot or
engineer is looking at.
Currently, if there is a problem, engineers and pilots
have to email pictures and call easyJet’s Operations
Control Centre (OCC) to resolve it. However, with
Epson’s smart glasses, the OCC can provide technical
assistance in real time.
Ian Davies, easyJet’s head of engineering and
maintenance, said: “By wearing the Moverio BT-200,
pilots or engineers down route could transmit live
pictures and data between easyJet OCC at Luton
and any of our 138 operating locations in Europe
and beyond, providing direct access to shared visual
information making it easier for them to resolve any
technical issue.”
EasyJet is not the only organisation to
have assessed Sony’s Digital Paper (see
left). So, too, has Ease Entertainment,
a provider of payroll and accounting
systems to Hollywood studios.
In May, it bundled Digital Start
Paperwork (DSP) software and Sony Digital
Paper, enabling studios to adopt virtually
paperless processes for new hire and
crew on-boarding for motion picture and
television productions.
Using Digital Paper, crew members can
quickly and easily read, fill out and submit
all required paperwork, complete with
legal signatures. Documents are stored
in a secure digital format within Ease’s
Scenechronize platform and retained for as
long as required.
Michael Rose, chairman and CEO of
Ease Entertainment, believes that the
combination of Ease’s software and Sony
Digital Paper has the potential to transform
what is still a ‘paper and file box’ industry.
He said: “The combination of our
technologies will substantially streamline
and improve the on-boarding process,
which will ultimately lead to reduced
production costs. The benefits of its use
in and around a shooting set, within
production offices and at the corporate
and legal level, are countless: enhanced
regulatory compliance, fewer errors,
reduced environmental impact and an
increased level of efficiency.”
Sony Digital Paper is also proving useful
for more creative applications, as Glenn
Gainor, President of Production for Screen
Gems, a Sony Pictures Entertainment
division, explains:
“Sets have traditionally been buried in
paper, from scripts, call sheets, production
notes and more. I’ve been testing Digital
Paper for months and now I can’t imagine
myself being without it. I can now keep
ideas, notes and other great ideas in one
device,” he said.
A stitch in time
The network of paths criss-crossing
Greenwich Park provided PearsonLloyd
with the inspiration for Bene’s new office
rug collection. The Greenwich collection
features two designs, Lines and Fields,
available in round and rectangular
forms, two sizes and a variety of colour
combinations. The 100% woollen rugs are
handmade in India by Catalan rug producer
nanimarquina.
Back to front is
just right
Jimi is a clever device that extends the USB
port on the back of an iMac to the front
for easy access. It was initially developed
by designers at Bluelounge to make life
easier for themselves, as founder and
creative director Dominic Symons explains:
“We work on iMacs in the studio and kept
finding that we’d have to stand or turn the
monitor to access the back USB. Then we
thought ‘ah ha!’, and
Jimi was born.”
/products/jimi/
Sony’s Digital Paper is the world’s lightest
and thinnest e-paper solution. It has a
13.3in screen, equivalent to A4, and is as
easy to read and write on as paper.
Sony Digital Paper has starring role
EasyJet has been assessing Epson Moverio BT-200
augmented reality glasses
