Volvo unveil inflatable child seat concept
We recently did a gallery on the weird and wonderful child seats out there, but of course, the main reason for a child seat is safety. They are also often big, bulky and hard to move around. One of the biggest headaches I have had when babysitting my Goddaughter is the baby seat; moving it from my friend’s car to my car and then back again later that night or whenever. It is such a mission.
Thankfully Volvo is on it! Lawrence Abele, design manager at the Volvo Monitoring Concept Centre in Los Angeles, has designed a lightweight and inflatable rearward-facing child seat concept. “The seat is safe, easy to pack and carry and will enable parents to use it in many situations not practical with the seats on the market today.”
The seat inflates in less than 40 seconds and weighs less than 5 kg, which is half the weight of a contemporary seat. Maria Hansson who is the Project manager at the centre in LA says, “We use unique materials called drop-stitch fabric when creating the prototype of the seat. This fabric is very strong when inflated as it can be brought to a very hight internal pressure.”
The reason it is rearward-facing is because according to Volvo, it is the safest way for children to travel. “A child’s neck is under development and not as strong as an adult’s neck. In a frontal impact collision, the head of a forward-facing car occupant is thrown forward inducing great strain on the neck. Children therefore need special restraints and to face the rear until at least 3-4 years of age.”
Safety AND convenience? Sounds like the perfect combination to us! Now to see what it would actually cost though ;)