Ever drift off on a long flight, only to realize once you fell asleep, your head lolled to one side until it was resting on the shoulder of the stranger next to you? An odd Kickstarter gadget is vying to help travelers sleep comfortably on airplanes without snuggling with a stranger. The Napup Fly+ is a mix between a personal travel pillow, a sleep mask, and a pair of headphones all rolled into one without that head loll. It’s pretty much a “hug for your face,” Napup CEO and founder Ben Cohen-Gazit says.
The Napup Fly is an “in-flight personal sleep system,” says the New York-based company Napup. The sleep system attaches to the back of the headrest and surrounds your head on both sides, with a forehead strap at the front. The result is an ergonomic way to sleep while sitting upright on a plane, the company says.
Head flops aren’t the only way the odd gadget tries to create a sleep environment on a crowded airplane. The front of the Napup Fly also has a sleep mask to block out light. The sides of the more advanced Napup+ have a sound system built in with a 0.35mm headphone jack, replacing the noise of the airplane with your music.
“Napup Fly is a unique, ergonomic, supportive and stable sleep system that makes flights comfortable and pleasant. Napup Fly is the first product in the market that combines comfort with a stable yet non-restraining solution for napping on board,” Cohen-Gazit says. “I’m happy to introduce travelers to the first enhanced in-flight sleep solution. Napup Fly is like a hug for your face.”
When not in use, the Napup Fly folds up for tucking in a carry-on.
Napup launched four years ago with an idea for a car seat strap designed to keep kids’ heads from bobbing around after falling asleep in the car. The Napup Fly is the company’s first Kickstarter.
If the project is successful and hits $30,000 by November 30, early backers could get the Napup Fly for about $35 and the Napup Fly+ with headphones for $49. The company expects delivery around April 2019.
