1. A system for anticipating the needs of at least one passenger onboard a mobile platform comprising: a passenger seating area for receipt of the at least one passenger, the passenger seating area including a passenger seat that has a seat back that is moveable into a reclined position, a tray table that is operable to be positioned to provide a surface for use by the at least one passenger, and a light source disposed for illumination of at least a portion of the passenger seating area; a camera that acquires an image of the at least one passenger in the passenger seating area; a gesture control module that generates activity data that includes at least one activity that the at least one passenger is performing as recognized in the image of the at least one passenger acquired by the camera; and a smart control module that moves the seat back, positions the tray table, and activates or deactivates the light source based on the activity data.