Airbus Unveils Futuristic Smart-Seat Prototype For Economy Cabins

U.K-based design studio LAYER has allowed a first glimpse of a high-concept economy class seat designed for use on Airbus aircraft. The lightweight, interactive “Move” seats, designed to seamlessly connect with air travelers’ mobile devices will allow passengers to monitor and control seat firmness and temperature through a convenient app.

If European aerospace giant Airbus has anything to say about it, the future of economy class seating will be a bit more luxurious, considerably more fuel-efficient and a whole lot more interactive. The aircraft manufacturer’s partnership with famed London-based design firm LAYER has yielded a new prototype airline seat that might just make life in economy more bearable for air travelers.

The designers behind the innovative Move seats say the unique, lightweight, slim profile concept was designed with “both passenger and airline ease” in mind. The prototype, unveiled on Monday, is expected to be a hit with airlines because of the ability to maintain or even increase a cabin density while taking advantage of fuel efficiency gains from a substantially decreased seat weight. Meanwhile, passengers will benefit from more control over their environment in flight.

The secret to keeping the often competing interests of airlines and passengers in harmony, apparently involves the use of a “smart fabric” with a “conductive yarn” woven into the seat covering which “allows the material to flex and change to the passenger’s size and weight.” Flyers will be able to control the seat’s comfort settings – including temperature and firmness through an available app.

“Presenting the Move App – it receives data from your Move seat … allowing your body temperature and movement to be monitored,” the brain trust behind the futuristic seat explained in a statement posted on social media.“It sends you in-seat stretch suggestions, to maintain your circulation, as well as reminding you to stay hydrated.”

Move seats are also designed to seamlessly connect with flyers’ personal mobile devices. The prototype is equipped with an in-flight entertainment system (IFE) “configurable to airlines, allowing an OLED display to be integrated into the seatback.” The seat will also allow passengers to “connect a third party screen or their tablet” to the airlines IFE system.

In a much less high-tech, but no less innovative feature, the Move seat also includes a completely stowable armrest which allows flyers to “spread out when traveling alone or in a group and create a bench like seating format.” The same contour design that makes the seat space-efficient is credited with improving passenger comfort.

According to Airbus and Layer, the Move seats were designed with economy cabins on short to mid-haul flights. It could be some time before, if ever, passengers see the Move seats in action. Years of high-concept seat designs unveiled periodically by Airbus, including the “acrobat,”  the “sleeping box” and the “flying doughnut” have yet to substantially change the way air travelers get from point A to point B.

[Source: Layer, Images shown with the consent of Airbus]