vollebak 'deep sleep cocoon' is built for the first expedition to mars

designed to improve the sleep cycle of astronauts in outer-space, vollebak’s latest jacket ‘deep sleep cocoon’ is a hybrid between a cocoon and a spacesuit. like many of their designs over the year, such as the blue butterfly-inspired morpho jacket and the cockroach inspired indestructible jacket, the structure of the ‘sleep cocoon’ is also inspired by nature — a woodlouse to be specific. the hood of the jacket mimics the protective exoskeleton of the woodlouse, allowing users to create a barrier between themselves and rest of the world.

all images courtesy of vollebak

‘we wanted zipping the deep sleep cocoon up on a plane flight to be like hanging up a do not disturb sign’ explains vollebak co-founder, steve tidball. ‘bright lights disappear. everything gets quieter. and people leave you alone.’ the five-segment sliding hood has the function of a visor on a space helmet, allowing users to enjoy their privacy and comfort in inhospitable settings. the hood is also spacious enough for users to freely breathe, listen to music and even look out without any disturbance from the outside space.

with the ‘sleep cocoon’, vollebak took into serious consideration the issue of sleep deficiency and its impact on completing everyday tasks for humans. especially for astronauts, sleeping can be quite difficult due to environmental factors that cannot be controlled. ‘when neil armstrong and buzz aldrin climbed back onto the eagle to return to earth after the moon landing, sleep was out of the question,’ tells tidball. ‘sleep is as critical as food, water and air. it helps restore the body’s immune, nervous, skeletal and muscular systems, and these in turn maintain your mood, memory and cognitive function.’

the jacket, built from an advanced three-layer fabric with a waterproof and windproof membrane, consists of five pockets, two way front zipper and cord adjusters to help tighten the fit. the multi-functionality of the jacket can be seen above in a short-film ‘asteroid minor’ set in 2084, where an astroid miner uses the jacket to help him rest through occasional turbulence.