Research & Development
JAXA promotes three research and development programs and a fundamental research program that underpins them.
Universal Design for Advancing All People’s Comfort in Air Travel
The WellVoyage Seat wins Gold in the IAUD International Design Award 2025
On February 27, 2026, the WellVoyage Seat, proposed by JAXA and Toyota Boshoku Corporation, was awarded Gold in the category of “Imaging the Future” in the IAUD International Design Award 2025 by the International Association for Universal Design.
The IAUD International Design Award is an award focused on universal design. It recognizes organizations and individuals whose activities or proposals make a significant contribution toward realizing a universal design society in which everyone can live comfortably without inconvenience.
The Wellvoyage Seat is a concept for a detachable aircraft seat that allows passengers to be moved both inside and outside the aircraft cabin while remain seated. This eliminates the physical burden of transferring to and from a seat in a confined cabin space, which has long been a problem faced by passengers with reduced mobility and their caregivers. Additionally, since access to window seats will become much easier, passengers who require transfer assistance will be able to enjoy flying in a window seat without hesitation.
The WellVoyage Seat (Image courtesy of Toyota Boshoku Corporation) and the gold award logo.
Mar 2, 2026