14 ms·

coming next, Responsive Seating! per-flight configurable seat modules, for exactly the number of people on board, and can be quickly loaded/unloaded to minimis

by shabble 13y ago

coming next, Responsive Seating! per-flight configurable seat modules, for exactly the number of people on board, and can be quickly loaded/unloaded to minimise excess weight. Installed seats adjust their clearance automatically based on available space and user's ticket price/options.

bazzargh 13y ago
... that double as waiting rooms, and you board before the plane is even on the ground. http://s3images.coroflot.com/user_files/individual_files/79414_c_a8KATUOg4h2F9HCHh_AJ5d8.jpg http://s3images.coroflot.com/user_files/individual_files/794...
yardie 13y ago
I can already see the logistics and engineering nightmare of a flight devoid of seats having to bump an entire group of passengers because the next leg doesn't have enough inventory. Seats are fixed because bolts are easy. Once you get into the whole latches and levers business you compound your points of failure. Ever look under the last row of foldable seats in an SUV? A lot of engineering goes into securing 100kg bags of meat to an object hurtling along the ground at 80km/h. Now imagine having to do the same for a plane traveling 2-3x that.
- freehunter 13y ago
  Does speed really matter, though? I mean, the issue with cars is that they sometimes come to a very sudden stop, and in those situations the passengers need to be bolted to the ground. Planes don't often come to very sudden stops and when they do, bolts don't matter much. The seats need to be secured, yes, but not in nearly the same fashion.
  - yardie 13y ago
    Yes. I would say even more so than cars. Even at its slowest a plane is traveling at 3x the speed of a car or 9x the kinetic energy. Then you have the problem of a compounding failure. If even one passenger gets lose the seat in front has to do 2x the work. A plane with 30-70 rows can have a domino effect if the bolts don't hold. Also cars don't instantly stop. Most of the energy is dissipated by shedding the engine under the body and crumple zones. They have a dramatically shorter runway than planes.
- kunai 13y ago
  It's not quite that easy either. Seats on airliners must be "9G" after the September 11 disaster -- meaning that they have to survive 9G's of force. I doubt it would be possible to create seats that would stay in place with even 2Gs of force with latches. Imagine Miracle on the Hudson. Seats may have flown out of their securements, due to the forces in excess of 2G. Or perhaps an emergency landing after an engine failure, which has the potential to be even more forceful. Gimli Glider, anyone?

by shabble 13y ago

bazzargh 13y ago

... that double as waiting rooms, and you board before the plane is even on the ground. http://s3images.coroflot.com/user_files/individual_files/79414_c_a8KATUOg4h2F9HCHh_AJ5d8.jpg http://s3images.coroflot.com/user_files/individual_files/794...

yardie 13y ago

I can already see the logistics and engineering nightmare of a flight devoid of seats having to bump an entire group of passengers because the next leg doesn't have enough inventory. Seats are fixed because bolts are easy. Once you get into the whole latches and levers business you compound your points of failure. Ever look under the last row of foldable seats in an SUV? A lot of engineering goes into securing 100kg bags of meat to an object hurtling along the ground at 80km/h. Now imagine having to do the same for a plane traveling 2-3x that.

freehunter 13y ago
Does speed really matter, though? I mean, the issue with cars is that they sometimes come to a very sudden stop, and in those situations the passengers need to be bolted to the ground. Planes don't often come to very sudden stops and when they do, bolts don't matter much. The seats need to be secured, yes, but not in nearly the same fashion.
- yardie 13y ago
  Yes. I would say even more so than cars. Even at its slowest a plane is traveling at 3x the speed of a car or 9x the kinetic energy. Then you have the problem of a compounding failure. If even one passenger gets lose the seat in front has to do 2x the work. A plane with 30-70 rows can have a domino effect if the bolts don't hold. Also cars don't instantly stop. Most of the energy is dissipated by shedding the engine under the body and crumple zones. They have a dramatically shorter runway than planes.
kunai 13y ago
It's not quite that easy either. Seats on airliners must be "9G" after the September 11 disaster -- meaning that they have to survive 9G's of force. I doubt it would be possible to create seats that would stay in place with even 2Gs of force with latches. Imagine Miracle on the Hudson. Seats may have flown out of their securements, due to the forces in excess of 2G. Or perhaps an emergency landing after an engine failure, which has the potential to be even more forceful. Gimli Glider, anyone?