Creative firm New Territory has spun out a new company to address the lack of innovation in high-density travel.
Universal Movement’s launch includes the announcement of its first project, Interspace, which utilises a patented wing support system for aircraft seating and aims to provide a new level of comfort for all passengers, regardless of their seat price.
Interspace features two easily deployable padded wings that fold out from the seat back. The ‘living’ hinges can be easily folded back into the chair’s upholstery and replaced in service, providing better access for passengers to move to and from their seat.
The hinges are also connected to the material at the back of the seat through a composite assembly, meaning that the wings are robust enough to handle passengers leaning on them. It is also possible for only one of the seat’s wings to be deployed so that different sleeping preferences and body shapes can be catered for.
There is also the option of only deploying one wing on either side of multiple adjacent seats, effectively creating a private bay for families or small groups of passengers.
Universal Movement and the Interspace Comfort System are the first of New Territory’s patented, self-initiated projects protected by intellectual property partners, Stobbs IP.
Luke Miles, founder and chief creative 0fficer at New Territory, commented: “Universal Movement and Interspace have been born from the fact that not enough time, thought and resources have been invested into the back of the aircraft cabin. We believe that comfort, good posture and wellbeing is a human right irrespective of financial status or social class. If you consider the psychology of the cabin, its linear, grid-like form is restrictive and as a result, seats have been designed for what is essentially an unnatural posture and seating position. The time has come to seek designs, products and services which tackle this subject head on, creating affordable solutions for those businesses who share the same values and desires. For this reason, we wanted to break the mould with this first product, which is the first of many to come from Universal Movement.”
Working with its partner SWS, New Territory has designed the concept to be fully certifiable, allowing carriers to rapidly retrofit an entire premium cabin.
Carriers will have the opportunity to embed their branding onto the inside of the wings and introduce different types of finishes to the padding, which has the option to be removed and washed when necessary. Carriers could additionally choose to embed technology within the wings.
Miles continued: “The industry has been fixated on the same variables within an aircraft cabin including linear ergonomics, catering and in-flight entertainment, but we were keen to find a new use for the volume of a seat back. Our learnings from working on different types of projects, such as autonomous vehicle experiences, allowed us to think outside of the box to create something that we believe can improve the comfort of journeys for more passengers across the cabin. Interspace could be particularly valuable for the growing, ultra-long-haul market.”
