BA monitors passengers’ brainwaves with new blankets
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British Airways has begun testing a new high-tech blanket that monitors passengers’ brainwaves.
The so-called “happiness blanket” is woven with fibre optics and uses neuro-sensors to measure a person’s brainwaves. It then changes colour, from red to blue, to show when a passenger is at their most relaxed.
The airline said it hopes that monitoring a person’s sleep patterns during a flight will allow it to make better decisions about its in-flight service, including the timing of meals and the type of in-flight entertainment on offer.
The new blankets were tested last week on BA’s Dreamliner service from London to New York.
“This is the first time this technology has been used by any airline to help shape how service is delivered on board an aircraft,” said Frank van der Post, BA’s managing director for brands & customer experience.
“Using technology like the British Airways ‘happiness blanket’ is another way for us to investigate how our customers’ relaxation and sleep is affected by everything on board, from the amount of light in the cabin, when they eat, to what in-flight entertainment they watch and their position in the seat.
“Having been the first airline to introduce the fully-flat bed in business class, we take our customers’ sleep and relaxation, very seriously. Now we want to ensure they get the best possible good flight’s sleep as well,” he added.
The initiative is being supported by Vincent Walsh, a professor of human brain research at University College London, who said that he is “I’m looking with interest at what the British Airways ‘happiness blanket’ will reveal about the traveller’s sleep and relaxation patterns during the course of a flight”.
The introduction of the new blankets follows the launch of BA’s ‘Slow TV’ concept, which shows ‘wallpaper’ style footage of mundane, everyday activities such as train journeys and knitting.
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