Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic) has launched Wellness, a new range of options for its NEXT platform that have been developed to improve the comfort, health and wellbeing of passengers inflight.
Wellness was developed alongside the R&D teams from Panasonic Corporation in Japan, and includes active noise canceling, premium seat lighting and Panasonic’s Nanoe technology. Panasonic says it has secured launch customers for each feature, all of which are available on both long and short-haul flights.
David Bartlett, CTO of Panasonic Avionics Corporation, stated, “Our airline partners are actively researching new ways to enhance passenger well-being, especially on long-haul flights. As responsible partners to the world’s leading airlines, our mission is to leverage the latest advancements in technology to improve the passenger experience on board all Panasonic-equipped aircraft. Nanoe, active noise canceling and premium seat lighting represent the first set of solutions that we believe will dramatically enhance the flying experience.”
The features in focus:
Active noise canceling enables airlines to reduce ambient noise around each seat to15dB without the use of headphones. The technology is adaptable to each seat configuration and will calibrate automatically to a passenger’s seat inflight, reducing fatigue. With a frequency range of 80-400Hz and in-seat controls, speakers and microphones, the solution integrates seamlessly with the seat’s individual IFE system.
Premium seat lighting tailors a passenger’s lighting experience to different phases of the flight, to benefit health and wellness onboard. Specialized sleep and wake algorithms ensure passengers have the best possible rest inflight and awake refreshed and at their body’s own pace. Lighting scheduled during meal services is optimized to improve food color saturation, whilst reading lights are designed to reduce eye strain for passengers. For the airline, a range of accent lighting highlights themes and branding in the cabin, with differentiation available for first and business class sections.
The Nanoe system can cleanse the air in the cabin and around a passenger’s seating area, when required, by applying low voltage to moisture, which bursts into nano-sized electrostatic atomized particles at a rate of 480bn nm particles per second. The result is the removal of viruses, bacteria, fungi and odors from the cabin.
Panasonic is also developing wellness applications in collaboration with experts including Detalytics, a provider of health-related AI services, which has created an integrated health advisory application integrated into both PAC seatback and passenger mobile screens; and Mimi Hearing Technologies, an advanced audio enhancing algorithms specialist, which has created integrated personalized audio capabilities.
Bartlett added: “These features are just the beginning of a wide range of technology, services and content that Panasonic will be rolling out in the near future. New features will draw from a wide range of partners from the health, wellness and biometric industries, in addition to Panasonic’s significant investment and offerings in consumer wellness solutions.”
