Thales Aerospace’s Immersive In-Flight Entertainment Pod
Thales Aerospace and Motivo Deliver a Show-Ready Experience for the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2025
Background
For AIX 2025, Thales Aerospace needed a fully functional in-flight entertainment demo to showcase their new 32” screens. The goal was to present a realistic, first-class passenger experience that could run live at the show complete with seating, lighting, audio, projection, and media controls.
They came to Motivo to design, engineer, and build a two-seat demo pod that could deliver that experience on the show floor.
The pod had to:
Showcase Thales’ new 32” screens in a realistic, in-cabin setup
Include real-time seat controls, ambient lighting, and built-in audio
Pack up for air freight and assemble easily on-site at the show
Be designed, built, and delivered under a fixed, accelerated timeline
From Concept to Show Floor Under One Roof
Thales Aerospace partnered closely with Motivo’s Industrial Design team to explore and refine several experience paths resulting in an exclusive, immersive setup that stood out on the show floor.
After concept development and ergonomic testing, Motivo moved quickly from final design into a functioning demo unit, completing the build in just a few months.
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User-Centered Experience – Designed for two users to have separate, personalized interactions while still able to engage with each other during the demo.
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Ergonomic Layout – Custom mockups to test seating, viewing angles, and control placement.
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Laser Projection Mode – Immersive, full-width display setup using hidden projectors
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Lighting System – Mode-based LED and neon lighting controlled from the console
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Tablet Interface – User selects mode (movie, game, music, upright) from an integrated tablet.
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Leather-Wrapped Console – 3D printed for speed, hidden mounts for clean aesthetics
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Reverse-Engineered Seating Controls – first class airline-style recline and in-headrest audio.
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Shipping-Ready Platform – Integrated pallet base designed for air freight logistics.
Design, engineering, prototyping, and fabrication ran in parallel. With all disciplines in-house, Motivo was able to move quickly, respond to changes, and preserve the original user experience intent throughout the process.
Outcome
At AIX 2025 in Hamburg, the pod was fully functional. Visitors could recline, select media modes, and watch content with synced lighting and sound. Visitors were impressed that nothing was faked, the build helped Thales engage with more potential leads and buyers, and the pod proved their IFE system in a realistic environment.
Motivo designed and delivered an engineered solution that was compact, shippable, reliable, and visually impressive without cutting corners.
