Could A Simple Design Tweak End Aeroplane Armrest Battles For Good?

Could A Simple Design Tweak End Aeroplane Armrest Battles For Good?

Aeroplane seats are already cramped enough without having to fight off some stranger literally elbowing in on your turf. One Hong Kong-based design outfit thinks it may have found the answer to your armrest woes.

Paperclip Design Limited has heard the flying masses’ cries and given us the double-decker Paperclip Armrest, a two-tiered bar meant to solve the inevitable battle for elbow space. Design Taxi explains:

The basic concept of the Paperclip Armrest can be executed in various shapes, forms and materials — according to its creators, the only criteria that need to be met for it to remain functional is that “the two levels must be approximately three inches (7.5 cm) apart, with a roughly 8-inch (20cm) gap between backrest and the upper level”.

Which all sounds well and good, sure, but from the looks of the photo below, the armrest still appears to force you to be a bit more cozy with potential strangers than one might prefer.

Could A Simple Design Tweak End Aeroplane Armrest Battles For Good?
Could A Simple Design Tweak End Aeroplane Armrest Battles For Good?

So what do you think? Is the extra bit of elbow-room worth the intrusion into your personal space bubble? Got a superior vision for the armrest of tomorrow? [Design Taxi]


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.