As far as I'm concerned, Christmas is quite a special time of the year. And I'm not only talking here about the Christmas spirit and the certain special way we feel during this period, but also about the various events that occur during this period. So, it's very interesting to note that some of the world's biggest companies are taking Christmas quite serious as well, especially GE Global Research.

So, what the scientists and researchers from GE did was to come up with an upgraded, next-gen and high-tech design for Santa Claus' famous vehicle, the sleigh. “Over the past year, GE has advanced key technologies to promote cleaner energy, improve access to high quality health care, help day-to-day commerce run more efficiently and promote a safer world,” explains Mark Little, Senior Vice President and Director of GE Global Research. “In the spirit of the holiday season, we thought it would be fun to imagine what our scientists and engineers could do if we put our technology achievements together to design and build a concept ‘Sleigh of the Future’ for Santa Claus.”

So, according to GE, Santa's new sleigh should sport a new frame manufactured from the company's specialized carbon fiber composite materials that are lighter and stronger, as well as ultra-light, super durable blades made from ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) instead of metal to enable more efficient flight and cut down on rooftop “clatter.”

Additionally, the exterior of the sleigh should be sprayed with icephobic coatings to prevent ice buildup while traveling through new fallen snow, while Rudolph's red nose should be enhanced by a couple of self-powered OLED lights. The sleigh would also feature GE sodium batteries on board that store energy to provide supplemental power for the sleigh, not to mention a couple of interesting side accessories, such as GE’s Asset Intelligence tracking technology for Santa’s elves at the North Pole to track Santa’s whereabouts and the condition of his inventory (the gifts) at all times or 500 GB holographic discs to replace lists with children’s Christmas wishes.

Now, I'm pretty sure Santa Claus' sleigh actually uses far more advanced, space-time continuum altering technology, but I'd rather not go into details, because I'm still waiting for those cool presents under the tree early in the Christmas morning.

Update

Here's a short application detailing Santa's next-gen sleigh, courtesy of GE.




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