July 25, 2006  Luftikid Inflatable Car Seat: Der Junge In The
Plastic Bubble  luftikid_car_seat.jpgAs Nightcrawler would say,
Unglaublich. Sometimes you see a piece of gear that's so
completely out of the prevailing paradigm, it's hard to even
know how to approach it.  The Luftikid is an inflatable car
seat. It consists of an inflated seat ring and a large, wedge-
shaped lap cushion, basically a persistent, pre-inflated air
bag. It attaches with regular seat belts, lap and shoulder. It
accommodates kids from ages 9 months to 7 years [that removable
U-shaped seatback provides lateral protection for kids under 4.]
It's apparently designed to meet EU car seat safety standards
[known as ECE R44/03], and it's tested and approved for use in
motorized vehicles and airplanes by the TUV [the German
equivalent of the CPSC]. Or as Google Translate puts it, "Thus
is usable Luftikid for all ranges of the transportation of human
beings, for which a legal belt obligation exists."  Great,
except that the Luftikid appears to