Next-Gen Black Boxes: Saving lives with Real-time Data

Traditional black boxes—Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR)—have critical flaws. CVRs often overwrite audio after just two hours, while FDRs require physical recovery, delaying crash investigations. Honeywell’s new HCR-25 solves these issues with a 25-hour CVR and live satellite data streaming, ensuring instant access to flight data even if the physical box is lost. This tech could have transformed probes like the Air India 171 or Air France 447 investigations, where recovery took years. Though retrofitting costs are high, global regulators are pushing adoption to prevent future tragedies.

Frost Away: How Chile’s Tech Shields Farmers

Frost devastates crops, but Chilean startup Frost Away fights back. Its AI-powered mesh networks predict frosts hours in advance, alerting farmers to protect fields. Similar challenges exist in India, where apps, often paid for, offer partial solutions. Frost Away’s innovation highlights the need for affordable, scalable agritech in vulnerable regions.

The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell and the studio expert is Chhavi Sachdev.

More on this week's stories:

Honeywell HCR-25

FrostAway

Production Manager: Liz Tuohy

Editor: Ania Lichtarowicz

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