October 9, 2019—Comfort Motion Global announced the launch of its Motion Seating technology to the automotive market.
This new motion seating technology reduces occupant fatigue and improves overall wellness and safety through automated, micro-adjustments of the driver and passenger seats. This technology can be programmed into any memory seat and can additionally actuate any other system in the seat such as lumbar support, bolsters, heating and cooling, and existing massage functions.
The technology is a result of Dr. Paul Phipps, a noted Indianapolis-based chiropractor specializing in human performance biomechanics, treating his long-time patients for chronic back pain associated with the cumulative effects of sitting, especially when driving frequently or for long distances.
The difference between motion seating and massage seating is this: Motion Seating is a proactive technology, while traditional massage seating, conversely, is reactive. The Motion Seating is designed to preempt tissue fatigue and reduce related discomfort. The system, controllable by the user via the vehicle's touchscreen, is a flexible software solution where the seat back and bottom cushion micro-adjust overtime throughout the drive.
These adjustments collectively redistribute the occupant's weight in the seat, continuously transferring compressive and shear stresses to new and different tissues. With each small motion (1° or less), it transfers the workload in the spine and supporting muscles to a new area so that no one area does all the work. This allows the natural tissue recovery cycles to occur, improving circulation and decreasing tissue fatigue and discomfort.
Traditional massage seating, on the other hand, treats the pain that results from sitting in a static position. Massage technology also requires additional hardware such as mechanical rollers and pneumatic bladders while never addressing the source of the pain, which relates to remaining in a static position.
