Inflatable Child Seat

Volvo revealed a new child seat concept that could change the industry. What's so great about it? It’s inflatable. It fits in a bag.

Rather than being constructed out of rigid plastic and metal, their seat uses heavy duty drop-stitch fabric--the same stuff you’ll find in outdoor gear such as inflatable rafts. So you can pull that car seat out of a bag, and watch it balloon into a seat. It does this amazing feat in 40 seconds, thanks to a silent internal pump. You can even set it to inflate from your phone via Bluetooth, if you're into that extra effort.

The seat is designed to be rear-facing, which would imply that it’s designed for children up to about age three. Otherwise, there are almost no other details available at this time. Volvo has no immediate plans to bring it to market.

While it’s certainly a compelling concept it's dubious whether it offers suburban parents much of an advantage. Because they can strap in a car seat and leave it there for years. No car rentals, no walk-ups. And while car seats are bulky and heavy, some have more than one use. Infant seats, for example, click conveniently into strollers, and have a handle--which creates a fun grab-and-go concept for your little one.

Source: fastcodesign.comAdded: 14 April 2014