Volvo Creates Inflatable Child Car Seat

As a father of a 2-year-old with another one on the way, I have become intimately familiar with car seats. I know how to use the infant ones as well as the toddler ones, and believe me, they are both a pain in the rear. (My rear, not my child’s, just so we’re clear). Shortly before we had our first child, I thought I’d never get the thing installed properly in the back seat of our car. Ultimately, I had to have an experienced friend give me a quick lesson. While it’s easier now, it’s still far from hassle-free. But Volvo might soon have something to say about that.

That’s right – Volvo, the car company, has designed a fully-working and fully-inflatable carseat. And before you ask, no, it’s not meant to go in the water. It’s meant to easily fold up and compress so that it fits snugly inside of a backpack.

The Car Seat That Travels As Well As You

While my family hasn’t ventured into the skies with our daughter quite yet, I’ve heard from others who have and they tell me it’s not easy when you have to tote around a baby and a car seat while you’re flying. I can only imagine lugging that thing around while trying to keep hold of my daughter at the same time. But with this product, all car seat headaches could neatly be tucked into the overhead compartment and forgotten about until landing time.

In case you’re wondering, this inflatable car seat apparently meets the same safety standards as its non-inflatable brothers and sisters, and will inflate in just under 40 seconds thanks to a built-in pump. (This pump also connects to your smartphone via bluetooth if you’d rather push a button on your phone than on the car seat itself). Now that’s pretty impressive. Why didn’t someone think of this earlier?

Sadly, it’s unclear if Volvo ever plans on releasing this product – but I for one sure hope they do!

What do you think?

[Image via automobilemag]

SOURCE: http://gizmodo.com/volvos-inflatable-child-seat-concept-fits-in-a-backpac-1562218008