Airbus has made another quirky patent filing.
Last time, it was a design for standing seats that could make you long for the days of fights over Knee Defenders. This time, it's a dorky-looking helmet that could help you forget you're on a plane -- or at least shield you from fellow passengers who are too close for comfort.
The helmet design, as described in the patent, is not exactly virtual reality. It's more like a personal IMAX, created to take up as little space as possible.
In the filing, Airbus argues that the current options for onboard entertainment -- movies, music, drinks and snacks -- are sometimes not enough to relieve the stress and boredom passengers feel while on a flight.
“An aim of the invention is to improve in this respect the comfort of aircraft passengers,” the company said. "For this purpose, the helmet in which the passenger houses his/her head offers him/her sensorial isolation with regard to the external environment. This isolation can be more or less pronounced according to the configuration of the helmet and the functionalities which are associated with it.“
"Sensorial isolation" has a dystopian sci-fi ring to it, but what Airbus seems to mean is a design that enables passengers to watch a movie without being bothered by the crying baby or chatty seat neighbor.
Individual helmets attached to airline seats seem to oppose current trends in in-flight entertainment, which lean toward airlines providing the services (e.g. Wi-Fi, entertainment streaming) that allow passengers to entertain themselves.
For example, Virgin Airlines promotes a service that streams entertainment to passengers' own devices. (Installing and maintaining those screens on the backs of seats is a costly endeavor for carriers.)
What's more, it's unlikely that Airbus' helmets will be available any time soon. A representative said the patent aims to protect the company's intellectual property, and that there are no current plans to make "sensorial isolation" a reality.