More than the fetid air, the $9 cookie boxes, and the Electronic Device Lie, airline seats strip coach passengers of their humanity (or whatever was left of it after their shoes came off and their belt hit the floor). An undergraduate at the University of Malaya is aiming to improve the situation with his design for a new seat that would allow everyone on the plane to recline at a 45 degree angle without invading the space of their brethren. The idea is so good, it's a shame it wasn't proposed before the Airline Monopoly was created last week.
Alireza Yaghoubi's AirGo design, which he submitted for a Dyson Award, features foot rests and trays (adjustable by touch-screen) that aren't connected to the seat in front of the passenger, and a drop-down computer screen that would allow passengers to while away the hours from a fully reclined position.
According to Yaghoubi's design page, the material that makes up the seat is a "strong nylon mesh which readily takes the shape of your body to avoid fatigue and additionally prevents sweating." Prevents! And we were just getting used to sweating into a fever trance so we could fall asleep without snapping our drooping head up every few seconds. The nylon is also replaceable and recyclable, which would end the stain game of Baby Vomit or Dip Spit? upon boarding.
The seats only take up 16% more space on an average airplane, meaning that airlines might be reluctant to adopt a system that only allows them to charge 16% or so more for a ticket. Luckily, Yaghoubi factored in the airline industry's unslakable thirst for Passenger Blood:
“The big screen for example can be used to encourage passengers to purchase a few dollar applications, movies, songs, games and books that could be used on their other devices elsewhere through cloud syncing.” Yaghoubi said. “They [the passengers] can video chat with others and call home for small rates or they can choose to take part in surveys or watch advertisements to use these services free of charge. They can connect to the local network and play matches against other passengers. The possibilities are just countless.”
Or maybe just read a book and fall asleep? You can see more renderings of the design here.
