Lufthansa Technik AG can once again look forward to receiving two of the coveted Red Dot Design Awards, probably the most prestigious international recognition in the field of product and industrial design. The company’s innovative Hidden Touch Display recently convinced the award jury in the ‘Design Concept 2025’ category. GuideU CircularFit, a concept for future generations of Lufthansa Technik’s popular non-electric floor path marking system for aircraft cabins, was moreover honored in the ‘Concept: Sustainability’ category. The award ceremony will take place in Singapore in October.

The clou of the Hidden Touch Display is the technology’s remarkable fusion of a high-quality look and feel with seamless functionality for luxury aircraft cabins. It lets passengers in VIP/VVIP aircraft, business jets or commercial first class cabins operate entire interior functions through a sleek, intuitive touch panel that simply vanishes into any type of high-class interior surface when not in use. Customizable for surface appearances such as wood, carbon fiber or metal, to name just a few, all cabin control interfaces can now blend seamlessly into the cabin design and only appear when needed.

By directly merging cutting-edge technology with cabin monuments, the Hidden Touch Display overcomes many limitations of conventional screen designs. This provides interior designers with entirely new degrees of freedom that help them fulfill their ambition of providing passengers with an equally intuitive yet optically and haptically sophisticated control experience. For example, instead of interspersing a high-class veneer surface or cabinet door with a visually offset permanent touch screen, cabin designers can now use the veneer surface or the cabinet door itself as a complex zone controller that only appears at the touch of a fingertip.

The non-electrical GuideU CircularFit floor path marking system impressed the expert jury as the first aviation cabin product of its kind to be consistently developed for a circular economy. The new concept retains the patented photoluminescence technology of the current GuideU lighting strips, which have been flying successfully with more than 300 airlines over the past 30 years. The CircularFit approach now adds the possibility to reduce material costs by up to 40 percent and raw material consumption by 90 percent thanks to fully reusable photoluminescent elements and recyclable carrier components. Thereby, the product remains customizable and easy to install, enhancing cabin aesthetics and redefining sustainable design.

GuideU CircularFit is developed specifically for the demanding requirements of aircraft cabins and encapsulates the valuable photoluminescent pigment in durable glass elements that are processed into customizable geometric tiles in various colors and designs. These tiles are embedded in a flexible and durable carrier made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The advanced design allows for quick installation by snapping into an adjustable TPU foam strip, making it easy to remove and reattach. Thanks to this versatility, airlines can reposition or reuse the system in multiple aircraft, maximizing value over the entire life cycle.

“Winning two of these highly recognized industry awards, especially in such a high-class field of contestants, fills me with pride and joy,” said Dr. Janna Schumacher, Chief Human Resources Officer and on the Executive Board of Lufthansa Technik AG responsible for the Original Equipment and Special Aircraft Services segment. “We are extremely grateful to receive these honors, which in my opinion are a clear testament for our company’s never-ending innovative spirit. My big thanks go out to all the experts in the juries, and, of course, to the entire team of our Original Equipment Innovation branch, who I think once again raised the bar for high-class, yet more sustainable, aircraft interiors.”