New and awkward “Ostrich” pillow may help travelers take power naps, anywhere

A company claims to have found the ideal product to help travellers counter the ill effects of jet lag and long-haul flights.

The Ostrich Pillow is a new portable device that its inventors say will “enable power naps anytime, anywhere,” including in airport lounges and on planes.

Stuffed with synthetic material – “for maximum performance and lightness”, according to its inventors – the distinctive-looking pillow has a hole in which to put your head, and a mouth hole designed to allow its wearer to breath easily. It also has two side holes where you can store your hands – if napping at a table in a library, for example.

The concept was developed by Kawamura-Ganjavian, an architecture and design studio with offices in Madrid and Lausanne.

Among other products, the company has also been responsible for developing the “ear shell” (a “sound enhancing device” that is attached to the ear), and a solar plug for charging portable computers.

The Ostrich Pillow has been described on the technology web site CNET as like “a giant garden squash gone soft”, while another reviewer for the Digital Trends website wrote: “We can only wonder how the pillow holds up on sweat and heat retention”.

Its creators argue that it genuinely works, saying: “We have tried it in airports, trains, aeroplanes, libraries, at the office, on a sofa and even on the floor and it’s really wonderful.”

The Ostrich Pillow will go into production if its fundraising targets are met. The company is currently trying to collect $70,000 (£43,000) on Kickstarter, a funding website for creative business ideas. The tally of pledges so far is slightly more than $35,000 (£21,500) with 23 days remaining.