The NodPod or 'head hammock': Does it really make sleeping on planes easier?

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This was published 7 years ago

The NodPod or 'head hammock': Does it really make sleeping on planes easier?

By Gavin Haines
Updated
You won't look at odd at all: The 'head hammock'.

You won't look at odd at all: The 'head hammock'.

Comfort: it's the thing we're all constantly striving for – and the lengths we'll go to achieve it can be quite astonishing.

Take the Ostrich Pillow, for example. Designed for napping on the go, the wearable cushion, which resembles a padded balaclava, looks ridiculous and makes your head sweat. Nevertheless, desperate holidaymakers have paid hard cash for them in a bid to make travelling more comfortable.

Similarly bizarre inventions have also found their way into duty free shops, not least the Nap Anywhere neck support, which make similarly bold claims about optimising comfort.

But now there's a new strange sleeping aid in town. Dubbed the NodPod, its designers claim to have found the "solution to amazing sleep while travelling by recreating how you sleep in a bed but in an upright position."

See also: The hoodie that doubles as a travel pillow

That's a bold – albeit grammatically deficient – statement, but how exactly does the NodPod expect to do this?

Well, according to a saccharine promotional video, the device achieves optimum comfort by offering what is essentially a hammock for your head. Yes, really.

Travellers simply hook the NodPod over their headrests, using its adjustable cords, and place their chins into a padded support, which then hangs from the headrest like a miniature hammock.

This, claims Paula Blankenship, who invented the device, keeps your head at a 90 degree angle and is conducive to a good night's sleep. Probably.

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Blankenship, from Kentucky, US, came up with the NodPod after years of sleepless commuting and is selling the devices for $US30 ($39) on Kickstarter (though punters won't actually receive their orders until October).

We'd need to road test the NodPod before passing judgement, but we foresee one or two issues; not least that the device would presumably require the cooperation of the person sitting behind you, whose television screens may be partially obstructed by the device.

We also fear the adjustable cords would prove too tempting for idle hands. Nevertheless, we welcome anything that makes jetting halfway around the world more pleasant – even if it does make you look like berk.

The Telegraph, London

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