As our own Kevin Eva has been known to lament, flying can be an uncomfortable experience. Spending several boring hours cramped in a flying tin can is usually something of a difficulty for adults, so for children it is much worse. SkyLights is proposing a solution with its virtual reality (VR) entertainment system designed for children.
French-American company SkyLights has launched a new VR system called Skykids, which is designed to entertain children between the ages of 6 to 12 on long-haul flights.
The Skykids system consists of a small ‘wearable cinema’ which allows children to watch a carefully curated set of 2D, 3D and forward-facing 360-degree videos without needing to leave their seats. Headphones are provided for audio, and a selection of videos suitable for children from the 20th Century Fox catalogue are available to choose from.
SkyLights has pointed to research which shows that children under 12 often get bored only an hour into a flight, and also noted that a survey conducted by Expedia found that unruly children were widely considered to be one of the most annoying types of passenger. As such, a system which could reliably absorb a child’s attention for long periods would likely be welcomes by many.
The company has also revealed to VentureBeat that the Skykids VR headset service underwent fleet-wide testing on the French airline XL Airways earlier this year, and feedback from customers for almost universally positive. In fact, on the vast majority of flights, demand for the devices outstripped supply, prompting the airline to plan on continuing to offer the devices after the summer vacation period.
The Skykids service will be offered to other airlines, alongside SkyLights other VR service, called Allosky VR, which is aimed towards adult customers in business class, offering higher-end specifications and a sleeker design.
For further news on new developments in the VR market, keep checking back with VRFocus.