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Layer has developed a smart textile for use in Airbus‘ economy class seating, which would allow passengers to monitor and control their bench situations applying their phone.
The seating concept, called Move, is designed to improve the experience of economy class on short to mid-haul flights.
Currently in the prototype stage, each chair is made up of a knitted, one-piece sling seat procured over a lightweight perforated composite frame.
Digitally knitted from a polyester wool blend with an integrated conductive yarn, the smart seat extend is connected to a series of sensors that see both the passenger’s torso and the conditions of their chair.
This includes temperature, bench strain, pressure and motion- conditions that can be monitored and controlled by passengers via their phone, use Layer’s Move app.
The Move app analyses the data collected by the sensors, and transmits targeted messages to the passenger telling them how they can improve their comfort.
These include motivating them to get up and move around the compartment to improve circulation, to do in-seat extends or to abide hydrated.
Users can further customise their seat preconditions via the app by selecting different modes such as “massage”, “meal time” or “sleep”.
“At Layer, we believe good design should have access to all, ” said Layer founder Benjamin Hubert. “All too often, new abstractions for winging are concentrated in invention in business class.”
“We were stimulated to take on the proposed project with Airbus to find ways to improve and add value to the economy class suffer- for both the passenger and the airline, ” he continued.
The smart handle also has regions of differing concentration knit to offer different levels of support to the body.
During the flight, the seat automatically adjusts itself on the basis of the passenger’s weight, size and motion by extending a current through the conductive yarn to change the seat tension.
Layer likewise addresses the issue of “legroom rage” caused by passengers unnecessarily reclining on shorter flights by securing the position of the seat back. Instead of reclining, passengers can maintain comfy by adjusting the settings of their smart seat.
In addition to enhancing the piloting suffer, Layer wanted to improve the sustainability of the aircraft.
Both the knitted bench and its lightweight frame- made from aluminium and carbon fibre- significantly reduce the on-board weight, bypassing the would be required for unsustainable foam material typically used in aircraft seating, and improving ga efficiency.
On the back of each bench is a “central island” containing the tray table, an optional Inflight Entertainment System( IFE) and a small pocket for storage.
There is also laptop storage in between the seats, affording users a secure region to store their machines during take-off and landing.
The tray table is stowed vertically and is height-adjustable. It can revolve out to provide a half-size table or can fold out to its full sizing, passing passengers additional knee chamber as desired.
As the armrests are wholly stow-able, passengers have the option of creating a bench-like seating format when travelling as pairs or in groups.
Thanks to the pressure-sensitive yarn, the seat can see if passengers have left a machine or object in the pocket and will notify them after landing.
Move is not the only project by Layer that is adapted to the user’s wants. The layout studio recently teamed up with London-based eyewear label Kite to launch a service that takes 3D scans of customers’ faces, then uses them to produce perfectly fitting frames.
Images depicted with the consent of Airbus.
The post Layer’s smart Move seating for Airbus adapts to the passengers requires showed firstly on Dezeen.
Read more: dezeen.com
