Me-sign: Morphing airplane seats
Seats that adapt their form and shape to their users. At first sight a small step towards more comfort in aeroplanes. But it’s also a sign for a bigger revolution: individualization of design and production. The beginning of the Me-sign instead of a design era. A revolution that goes beyond 3D printers.
From mass production to micro production. That is one of the developments that I see in our society in the upcoming years. Instead of the ultimate example of mass production, only black T-Fords coming out of the construction plants, I expect individual productions. You decide on the design, not the manufacturer. The 3D printer is the main enabler for the individualization of design. From Design to me-sign, so to say.
Me-sign
A great example of this development is the Morph invention of Seymour Powell. This British company has developed an airplane seat that adapts to its user. Whether you are tall, short, fat or thin, the seat is always more comfortable than the standard seats on a plane. It ‘knows’ through smart technology who is sitting in the seat and adapts its form to whatever is needed. As a consequence, there’s an individualization of airplane seats, so no seat is basically the same. I expect more of this kind of me-sign the coming decade. Me-sign, design adapted to the individual.
