This Inflatable ‘Personal Space Jacket’ Is Ridiculous But Also Kind Of Brilliant
Alana is the staff writer on AWOL who thinks the…
Imagine this: you’re a basic bitch tourist on holiday. You step out of your hotel and are overwhelmed by huge crowds and people who don’t understand personal space. It sucks, and it makes me think that this new ‘personal space jacket’ is kind of genius.
Hold up, though — it’s also extremely ridiculous.
At first glance, it looks like a regular bomber jacket surrounded by a clear layer of PVC. It’s almost trendy. It’s like the jacket you should wear when you’re driving the Cybertruck.
When everything’s going wrong but you still gotta finish your presentation #Cybertruck pic.twitter.com/bxEGe5nTvW
— Tryphon342 (@tryphon342) November 22, 2019
But then the PVC layer is inflated via a hidden electric pump, and suddenly you’re trapped inside a tiny plastic ball. But at least nobody can get too close to you on a bus, so, you know, win win.
The personal space jacket was released by the UK’s Leonardo Hotels after a survey revealed that 3.5 million British people have never visited London, with 21 per cent saying it’s because the city is too busy and crowded.
To help those people visit the capital without getting too close to strangers, the hotel chain unleashed the Space Optimiser. At full inflation, it creates a 45cm barrier between you and the masses.
“Here at Leonardo Hotels we want our guests to experience all the capital has to offer. We have four incredible, hotels in London (Tower Bridge, City, St Paul’s and Heathrow) and want to help make our guests’ trips as memorable as possible,” the hotel said in a press release.
“The Space Optimiser jacket will allow people to go into those crowded tourist hot spots, without feeling too overwhelmed by impositions on their personal space.”
Here’s the catch: the personal space jacket is only a prototype at the moment. But the hotel is considering rolling it out to the public if there’s enough interest. Who knows, maybe 2020 is the year of inflatable jackets?
(Lead image: Leonardo Hotels / supplied)
Alana is the staff writer on AWOL who thinks the best way to travel is by taking spontaneous detours and stopping at every local bakery to try the cakes. She writes a lot about Australian TV, Big Things, cursed food, and theme parks. You can follow her on Instagram @alana.dotcom. It’s mostly dogs she meets along the way.