At APEX expo SkyLights announced a partnership with premium seat provider, Stelia Aerospace and InSeat Solutions to deliver a new take on the virtual reality experience.
The new experience combines:
- A seat (in the demo case – the Stelia Aerospace Opal Seat)
- The AlloSky HD VR kit by Skylights
- InSeat Solutions massage functions
The Stelia Aerospace Opal Seat with the AlloSky equipment – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
The aft of the Stelia Opal Seat with the AlloSky items installed – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
And turns the seat into a fully immersive environment that responds to rumbles and sounds, as well as putting you in the 3D experience.
On the launch, Thierry Kanengieser, VP Cabin Interior, STELIA Aerospace states:
‘We are excited to be partnering with Skylights and InSeat to introduce a new way to experience our high comfort seats. We are constantly looking for ways to introduce new technologies in ways that truly enhance our passengers’ experience, and an in-seat, fully immersive cinematic experience certainly fulfills that desire. We look forward to inviting you to take a seat in Opal and be transported to a whole new world.’
The solution also simplified operations for airlines. With the items “inseat”, there’s no need to load or offload the item, and can be cleaned by normal processes. They can be stored in-seat to reduce galley space consumption too.
SkyLights David Dick states:
“Our goal is to make cinematic VR IFE a mainstay in the IFE ecosystem. Having deployed on over 5000 flights, launched our premium Allosky headset and established a solid base of content and logistics partners, we are now delighted to be taking another stride towards that goal.”,
So, all well and good. But how does it before in a live-use situation?
Well, I had a play at APEX EXPO.
And it was very immersive. I’m not a big fan of VR experiences (least of all, I turn a wonderful shade of green after a while on them), but in two demos – one being the Planet of the Apes, another with a relaxation system.
Thankfully, I didn’t suffer from using the system , but it was a full on experience, with the relaxation demo (which was full VR and reactive).
As for the Opal seat – I’m looking forward to seeing this in a live-use situation. Least of all for airlines that want to offer full-flat without sacrificing density, it could be something they’re waiting for….
Disclosure: Slylights invited Economy Class and Beyond to try their new system at APEX Expo.
Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond – And we’re on the Road to APEX Expo and AIX Americas starting Saturday 22nd August 2018. Join us aboard the Lufthansa Innovation Flight, The APEX Conference, APEX Expo and Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas. Find out more here!
Economy Class and Beyond is your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, with in-depth coverage, unique research as well as the humour and madness as I only know how to deliver.
Follow me on Twitter at @EconomyBeyond for the latest updates! You can also follow me on Instagram too!
Also remember that as well as being part of BoardingArea, we’re also part of BoardingArea.eu, delivering frequent flyer news, miles and points to European readers
