The Airline Blanket That Reads Your Mood

Can a blanket read your mind? No, but British Airways‘ new “happiness blanket” might be able to guess your mood. The blanket, which is currently being tested, has neurosensors and fiber optics woven into its fabric and changes color based on the mental state of the wearer. A blue blanket indicates the passenger is relaxed, while a red blanket suggests a person is tense. You can watch it in action in this video:

British Airways wants to use the blankets to improve the inflight experience, saying it’s “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 the position in the seat.” It’s unclear whether this blanket would ever be for general use, or if it’s simply a way to understand passenger moodiness better.

Either way, kudos to British Airways for thinking way outside the box at a time when it seems like most airlines are busy calculating just how little they can offer passengers. But if a blanket like this were ever to be used in economy class, the airline would need to program in a few more colors to help flight attendants interpret mood. May we suggest:

• Green: Grumpy because losing the armrest battle with seatmate.
• Purple: Mildly despondent that the person one row up got the last chicken meal option.
• Orange: Wishing child in row behind would stop kicking seat in time to the song “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”

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(Photo: British Airways)