Evaluation of an intelligent seat system.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of an intelligent seat system, a microprocessor-based interactive seat that automatically adjusts itself to fit a seated individual by making pressure-sensitive adjustments on its own. First, a standard American automobile seat ('baseline' seat) was assessed for comfort. Subjective ratings of comfort, pressure distribution and seated anthropometric measurements were recorded for 20 test subjects. These measurements were recorded while the subjects maintained a simulated driving position in a seat buck. The comfort scale was based on a rating of 1 to 10, with 1 corresponding to 'very poor' and 10 corresponding to 'very good.' Based on a nonlinear, multiple regression model that had been previously developed, the comfort rating of the seat was predicted based on the subjective ratings and the recorded values of 450 pressure measurements from 20 subjects. The predicted comfort value was 7.46 for the baseline seat. Following the baseline assessment, the intelligent seat system was installed into the standard American automobile seat. The objective and subjective assessments were then repeated for 17 subjects and the new predicted comfort rating was 8.06. A t-test performed on the subjective and objective measures indicated that this was a significant improvement in seat comfort. Overall, subjects felt the self-adjusting seat was more customized and more comfortable, providing a better fit.