Gizmodo Australia » seats

The Future Of Aeroplane Seats Is Hurting My Arse Already

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:00:00 +0000

We knew that cheap airlines cut as many costs as possible while increasing passenger density. The clever clusterf–k you are seeing here—a plane with staggered side seats—may be the future of flying, only one step below standing up.

It’s good to know that British company Design Q—who created the successful first class seats for Virgin Atlantic—has time to think about the rest of us, the air cattle. According to the company, the configuration “shows a generous gap between each of the seats, which could be reduced, but the centre seats are staggered to coincide with the gaps on the outboard seats”.

It seems to offer more leg room than normal seats, but this doesn’t look comfortable at all, even if it’s only for short-distance flights. Then again—like Runway Girl Mary Kirby points out—if these kind of side seats are good enough for the military, why not for the rest of us?

Do you agree? Would you travel like this only to pay a bit less? Isn’t flying cheap enough already? I know I won’t do it myself. Tell us what you think in the comments. [Runway Girl]

DIY Motorcycle Seat Grants Great Posture At The Expense Of Dignity

Jack Loftus — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:00:00 +0000

The rider undoubtedly has the best, straightest posture in the whole biker gang. Plus, it really hugs the body close on those tight corners. Next project: Motorcycle stadium seating. [There I Fixed It]

Qantas Economy Seat Wins International Design Award

Nick Broughall — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:54 +0000

If you ever find yourself flying cattle class in the Qantas A380 over to Los Angeles, at least you can take solace in the fact that the economy seat you’re sitting in won an International Design Award.The seat won the top honours at the 2009 Australian International Design Award of the Year ceremony late last week. It was a combination of all elements of the design, from materials used to the revolutionary new footrest that saw it outpace all other comers.

From the press release:

Judges were particularly impressed with the level of innovation and attention to detail given to all aspects of the seat. The design process clearly considered all features from the materials and aesthetics right through to the revolutionary footrest net, recline space and user interface of the entertainment unit. The environmental aspects of flying were also considered with lightweight carbon fibre selected to help reduce weight.

There are 332 of these economy seats on the Qantas A380, so when you next happen to be flying to LA, make sure you check out that revolutionary footrest. It might just change your life.

[International Design Awards]

Extreme Ergonomic Seating for ‘Him’ and ‘Her’ (NSFW)

Mark Wilson — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

To most of us, comfort is sitting on a soft cushion.To others, comfort is sitting on a sheet of molded plastic that rides up one’s butt crack.

The Chaise Him and Her chairs are the brainchild of Italian designer Fabio Novembre, intended to be an updated response to the famous Panton S chair by Verner Panton. Should you be enticed show the world a rump that you may or may not be blessed enough to possess, the chairs are available for $US340 apiece. Airholes are, sadly, not an option. [Amateur DeDesign via Le Journal du Geek]

Clothes Iron Bike Seat Warms Your Cheeks

Gizmodo US Edition — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 15:15:00 +0000

If you’ve ever wanted to sit on a hard, flat, unyielding piece of metal while biking but your butt gets cold easily, we’ve got a solution for your ridiculous problem.

This “heated cycling seat,” cleverly named the Iron Saddle, is made from a clothes iron with remarkably few changes. There’s no steam, because that could get slippery and safety is always paramount, but besides that it’s just an upside-down iron with an attached battery. Short of using a live porcupine, I’m hard pressed to come up with a less comfortable seat, but for sheer novelty and a shameless lack of reality, this one gets a thumbs up from me. [CyclingInfo via MAKE]

Park Bench-Sized Ghetto Blaster Plays Music Via Bluetooth

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:17:00 +0000

At last you can avoid the hassle of taking your Lasonic Ghetto Blaster every single time you go to the park: Now the park will have boom boxes the size of a park bench, with more than 500 watts of high quality ghetto thump. You only need a mobile phone with Bluetooth audio support, and the Boom Bench will be yours to annoy every single person 10km around you.

The Boom Bench features eight 60-watt co-axial speakers and two subwoofers that can be accessed through Bluetooth. The Boom Bench in a way is a super-sized Docking Station. Connect your player to the amplifier and take control. Now you can play your music with 95 dB high quality sound. A Bass Shaker in the seat transforms the deep sounds into vibrations that enhance the physical sensation of your tunes.

Great, so now only you can shake your bootie good to your favourite hip hop, but the bench itself will do it for you. My dog Jones would love it. For him to poop on (since it won’t work with his iPhone). [Dezeen]

Wing Man Baby Seat: Carbon Fibre Gets Knocked Up

Mark Wilson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:00:00 +0000

For anyone with a child, that bond you feel with your offspring is the most powerful in nature. And your protective instincts demand the absolute best in child safety, like this $US4,000 Wing Man baby seat prototype. It’s constructed of strong, lightweight carbon fibre—the same material used in performance cars and aeroplanes across the world—that should keep your little bundle of joy stylish and nearly invincible. But just so your know, dear parent, all of us without a child think that you’re freaking nuts for reading this many words on a $US4,000 baby seat. [carbonfibergear via Jalopnik]

Iconic Ovalia Egg Chair Reissued With Tech Upgrades

Mark Wilson — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:40:00 +0000

You may not know it by name, but the classic Ovalia Egg Chair probably streamed into your consciousness via the background of some MTV hipster video or the seating at a really, really cool grandma’s house. (Actually, we’re sure that you spotted an Ovalia chair in the shot after the jump, at minimum.) Now the Ovalia Egg Chair is getting reissued with the support of JBL.

The original 1968 design is mostly unchanged, its fibreglass shell and nylon/wool interior retaining their timelessly different style. The only structural difference seems to be that JBL speakers have been coyly hidden beneath the padding, emitting music that promises to be unobtrusive to those not sitting.

The Ovalia runs $US7700 and will only be sold to 900 lucky people. But if that price still seems expensive, keep in mind that the chair can be hung from the ceiling. The ceiling! [Panik Design via unpluggd]

Frellstedt Light-Up Bench: Illumination For Bums

Gizmodo US Edition — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Kind of the inverse of the psychedelic LED effects we showed you earlier, this relaxing Light Bench is maker Frellstedt’s idea of the future of seating. You know, the future where even garden furniture uses up electricity and contributes to global warming. Okay, it’s stuffed with LEDs, so it only consumes 95W, but you know what I’m saying. With its shifting, selectable colour patterns, it’s way too nice to end up in all but the best municipal parks, where it’d just keep tramps awake in the wee small hours. Ed. note: In case you didn’t get it, “bum” is a double entendre. [Trendir]

Delta “Cozy Suite” Seats Make Economy Class Semi-Tolerable

Sean Fallon — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:30:00 +0000

It may not be as fancy as first class accommodations, but Delta’s new “Cozy Suite” seats promise to make economy class seating less of a hellish, crippling nightmare. The major feature of the design is a staggered layout that increases privacy while simultaneously creating a space for weary travelers to rest their heads. It also allows passengers to enjoy 31-inches of leg room (2-inches better than the competition) and the ability to recline without disturbing the person behind them.

Delta is planning on installing the Cozy Suite in its Boeing 777 and 767 economy class aircraft by 2010. Plus, the impending merger between Delta and Northwest could mean that travellers loyal to the latter company might reap the benefits of these new seats as well. Until then, you will just have to suck it up or spring for a higher class ticket. [Thompson Solutions via DVICE via Crunchgear]