JLR pioneers 'morphable' front seats
Suffering from lower back pain? You are by no means alone. JLR thinks it might have the remedy...
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin...
Comfortable or not, it turns out that sitting for prolonged periods probably isn't the best thing fitness-wise. According to the World Health Organisation, more than 1.4 billion of us are living "increasingly sedentary lifestyles." And while that may sound like something to aspire to, it can also lead to a shortening of the muscles in the legs and hips, increasing the likelihood of injuries and back problems. Ah.
In order to help combat this, JLR's Body Interiors Research division - which sounds like something a person you'd avoid at the pub might have printed on their t-shirt - has developed a pioneering new 'morphable' seat.
This "seat of the future" constantly micro-adjusts, using a series of actuators in the seat foam to simulate the rhythm of walking. This movement, known as pelvic oscillation, not only attempts to mitigate the health risks of extended sitting, but apparently makes your brain think you're actually walking, too. So if you've ever arrived somewhere after a long drive and thought, "I wish I felt like I'd walked that" you're in luck!
Jaguar Land Rover Chief Medical Officer, Dr Steve Iley, said: "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."
There's no word yet on when we can expect to see this technological marvel on a dealer options list, although with the average UK driver spending just nine hours a week in their car, perhaps a morphable office chair might be the better place to start. Hop to it JLR!
I've noticed a trend of worse and worse sitting positions in cars. Why are the Golf mk7 pedals so offset to the right when the mk6 are straight?
Why is the Mercedes C class steering wheel angled vs the seat so if you sit straight in the seat you have unequal bend in your arms or (more likely) you twist your upper body.
BMW's pedals are now so off centre from the direction the seat points that you sit with your back on the seat bolster rather than the middle of the seat.
Only Porsche cars and the Vauxhall insignia appear to sit all the controls straight and central to the drivers seat such that if you sit shoulders back in the centre of the seat and point your arms and legs forwards you find the controls perfect (not that I've been in the latest version of either).
This detail makes a huge difference with the 37k miles I do a year as I start to age.
I've noticed a trend of worse and worse sitting positions in cars. Why are the Golf mk7 pedals so offset to the right when the mk6 are straight?
Why is the Mercedes C class steering wheel angled vs the seat so if you sit straight in the seat you have unequal bend in your arms or (more likely) you twist your upper body.
BMW's pedals are now so off centre from the direction the seat points that you sit with your back on the seat bolster rather than the middle of the seat.
Only Porsche cars and the Vauxhall insignia appear to sit all the controls straight and central to the drivers seat such that if you sit shoulders back in the centre of the seat and point your arms and legs forwards you find the controls perfect (not that I've been in the latest version of either).
This detail makes a huge difference with the 37k miles I do a year as I start to age.
Of course, the Cayster/.911 don't suffer from the same - they are one of the few (aside from some Japanese) with near-perfect ergonomics. Ironic, considering what a torture-chamber the original 911 was!
I've noticed a trend of worse and worse sitting positions in cars. Why are the Golf mk7 pedals so offset to the right when the mk6 are straight?
Why is the Mercedes C class steering wheel angled vs the seat so if you sit straight in the seat you have unequal bend in your arms or (more likely) you twist your upper body.
BMW's pedals are now so off centre from the direction the seat points that you sit with your back on the seat bolster rather than the middle of the seat.
Only Porsche cars and the Vauxhall insignia appear to sit all the controls straight and central to the drivers seat such that if you sit shoulders back in the centre of the seat and point your arms and legs forwards you find the controls perfect (not that I've been in the latest version of either).
This detail makes a huge difference with the 37k miles I do a year as I start to age.
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