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New seat design makes flying more comfortable than ever

By | February 20, 2013, 4:46 AM PST

With commercial airlines cramming their planes with more passengers, flying coach feels is feeling more and more like the cargo section.

Alireza Yaghoubi, a student at the University of Malaysia, thinks it needn’t be this way. To that end, he wants to re-engineer the experience of riding economy class so that it’ll feel more akin to the comforts of sitting in first class. This would include each passenger getting their own private overhead storage bin, enough room so that you wouldn’t even notice the passenger in front reclining and more ergonomic tray tables that won’t make you feel locked in.

His AirGo design does this by taking the basic arrangement of the main cabin and modifying it for utmost space-efficiency. Instead of being attached to the seat in front, the adjustable tray table and TV screen is re-positioned to drop down from the overhead bin, which means fewer spills or bad viewing angles. The seat pitch has been increased to 41 inches to help free up space thanks to a slimmer, streamlined construction.

“Compared to a normal economy class, AirGo uses only an additional 16 percent of floor space thanks to the new nylon mesh design which replaces the bulky cushions in current seats, Yaghoubi told ABC News. “They are cheap, durable, recyclable and more comfortable, yet they are considerably thinner.”

He adds that his setup offers many of the same benefits as first class while also being 128 percent more space-efficient. And though it takes up 16 percent more floor space, Yaghoubi thinks the costs of a trade-off this minimal can be offset by selling premium services like apps and other amenities that take advantage of this extra breathing room.

He tells ABC News:

“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.”

The AirGo design is an entry into the James Dyson design competition, which receives submissions from 18 countries. Whether or not any commercial airliner sees promise and brings Yaghoubi’s idea onboard, it goes to show that even basic bare-bones flying has, dare I say, lots of room for improvement.

At the very least, it’s definitely a lot more pleasant than the stand-up seating idea that discount flyer RyanAir had been mulling over.

Designs for life’s comforts:

More space-efficient ideas for a crowded world:

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Tuan Nguyen

About Tuan Nguyen

Tuan C. Nguyen was a contributing editor for SmartPlanet from 2011 to 2013.

Tuan Nguyen

Tuan Nguyen

Contributing Editor

Tuan C. Nguyen is a freelance science journalist based in New York City. He has written for the U.S. News and World Report, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC News, AOL, Yahoo! News and LiveScience. Formerly, he was reporter and producer for the technology section of ABCNews.com. He holds degrees from the University of California Los Angeles and the City University of New York's Graduate School of Journalism.

Follow him on Twitter.

Tuan Nguyen

Tuan Nguyen

Tuan C. Nguyen does not hold any investments in the technology companies he covers.

He writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

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+2 Votes
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Thiner seat only means more seats
Thanks now there will be even more peopel on the flight.

Did you notice how in the article it was couched as 128% more space for only 16%.

What they really mean is that you have 128% of a regular seat for 116% of the regular floor space. Not such a dramatic increase, especially when you realise that if each seat is 16% bigger then the airline will only get 86% of the prior capacity. (100/116)

No if these seats can be built thin and still meet the airline strengh requirements, you will see the seats moved closer by the savings, givign you the same amount of space and the airline about 11% more seats (116/128= 0.9 or 90%) that is the new seat will take up only 90% of the floor space of a traditional seat, and 100/90=1.11% or an increase of 11%.

if you want first class, the airlines what you top PAY for it.
Posted by CharlesG1970
20th Feb
+1 Vote
+ -
AirGo seats
Based on the presentation, it looks to me that passengers would have to stay put for the entire trip. There does not seem to be space enough for a passenger to climb over her neighbor to get up.
Posted by pmishler
20th Feb
0 Votes
+ -
If this adds weight, and demands more electricity and electronics,
then, it's already failed.

Airlines are looking for savings in weight, which translates into fuel savings. If the AirGo seats demand more from the electrical and electronics systems, then, it's another strike against it, and it becomes "AirNo", while the airlines would say "HellNo!!".
Posted by adornoe
20th Feb
+1 Vote
+ -
People always forget...
About Phase Two in the design process (that is, the phase after the design is tuned in).

THAT phase is the one where the carriers, in this case, look at the fact that the new seat is thinner, and shove those numbers into a new spacing pattern that will put these new seats (back) closer together.

See, in the economic logic of the airlines, if they put the seats back into a closer spacing, they can get a few more rows of them into the same plane. And that is what will happen here.
Posted by Lightning Joe
20th Feb
+1 Vote
+ -
Not cutting the mustard...
The ergonomics of this Airgo suck big round red rubber playground balls. A better seat is one that can adjust to fit passengers of all sizes (or most sizes within reason). That means a seat that can adjust to fit a tall person or a short person, one who is skinny or one who is chubby. I understand that we will never be able to accommodate for extreme sizes like kids of really fat people, we should strive for a better fit that fits the majority of sizes. I'm 6'2" and I couldn't get comfortable in a commercial airline seat to save my life. First class is a little better, but not by much. This Airgo looks like it doesn't have any adjustments to any ergonomics, it's a one size fits all. Additionally, it is very cold at cruising altitude for any and all jets regardless of the time of year, and mesh doesn't reflect body heat. Most airlines like to run the cabins a little on the chilly side and sell blankets and pillows. The individual pods above each seat have a lot of wasted space and seem designed for a flat ceiling... I call it a fail.
Posted by i8thecat4
26th Feb
0 Votes
+ -
Can you say claustrophobic?
I usually fly only for vacations. On one or two occasions I had to fight claustrophobia on seats that exist in current planes. This would be completely unacceptable! On the positive side, however, I'm sure that after very short time of implimenting these seats, there would be an unstoppable push to include "personal space" in a new passenger bill of rights.
Posted by jfobear1953@...
26th Feb
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