Bell unveils helicopter with radical shape changing blades

Aerospace manufacturer Bell Helicopter unveiled their rotorcraft concept at Heli-Expo in Dallas, Texas this week. The FCX-001 aircraft's frame is made from advanced sustainable materials, a hybrid power system, with a piloting system that can be controlled through augmented reality and an artificial intelligence computer assistant. The passenger cabin has individualized entertainment systems, allowing passengers to watch TV, hold video conference calls and share documents with other passengers. At first glance, the five main rotor blades look ordinary. This allows the last few feet of the blades to swing forwards and backwards to optimize the rotor dynamics, rather like the way some fighter jets can'sweep' their wings.