Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), this week, have announced that they’ve invented the seat of the future, which is to say - “A pioneering shape-shifting system designed to improve customer wellbeing by tackling the health risks of sitting down for too long”.
JLR says the “morphable’ seat, that’s being trialled by the company’s Interior Research division, uses a series of actuators in the seat foam to create micro-adjustments which tricks your brain into thinking you’re walking. The company says that each of these seats can be individually tailored to suit each driver and passenger.
The British luxury automaker also goes on to say that more than a quarter of people worldwide – 1.4 billion – are living increasingly sedentary lifestyles which can shorten muscles in the legs, hips and gluteals causing back pain. The weakened muscles also mean you are more likely to injure yourself from falls or strains. By simulating the rhythm of walking, a movement known as pelvic oscillation, the technology can help mitigate against the risks of sitting down for too long on extended journeys.
This project is just one of many that the company is currently researching when it comes to occupant health benefits. The project’s research is going towards Project Zero, which aims for Zero Emissions, Zero Accident and Zero Congestion. Previous research for Project Zero was focused on reducing the effects of motion sickness and the implementation of ultraviolet light technology to stop the spread of colds and flu.
“The wellbeing of our customers and employees is at the heart of all our technological research projects. We are using our engineering expertise to develop the seat of the future using innovative technologies not seen before in the automotive industry to help tackle an issue that affects people across the globe” said Dr Steve Iley, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Medical Officer.
For more information on Jaguar and Land Rover, please visit our Showroom.
