Volvo marks 50 years of child seat with inflatable design

IT IS 50 years since Volvo first introduced the rear-facing child seat to better protect children in cars. To celebrate this half century, the Swedish firm has come up with a new inflatable child seat that is easier to install and carry.

The Inflatable Child Seat Concept weights around half of what a normal child seat does. A built-in electric pump inflates the seat to fully ready in 40 seconds and also helps to deflate the seat quickly so it can be stored away to use less space than a normal seat.

Designed as a rear-facing seat for maximum safety, the Inflatable Child Seat Concept can be used for children up to the age of four-years old. It is made from hard-wearing fabric that is easy to clean and incorporates materials developed for the boat and aircraft industries to be very durable.

Lawrence Abele, Design Manager for Volvo, said: ‘It would be better for all of us to travel facing the rear but given how cars are designed nowadays it's not feasible. Young children, however, can and should travel facing the rear of the car as long as possible. The goal was to design a seat as safe, or safer, than anything on the market right now but second to that I want everyone, including kids to be exposed to great design every day.’

By Press Association reporters