Lexus today announced it will debut a Kinetic Seat Concept at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, as a standalone display. Sitting in the seat helps steady head movement caused by vehicle motion, keeping the field of vision fixed, according to the Japanese luxury car maker. The human spine acts to stabilize the human head by allowing the pelvis and chest to rotate in opposite directions. This is effective while walking or jogging. In order to recreate this movement abatement in car seats, the Lexus Kinetic Seat seat cushion and back rest were re-designed to move with occupant weight and external forces.
The Kinetic Seat frame “upholstery” comprises a spider web-pattern net with threads that spread out radially from the center of the back rest. The net is sufficiently flexible to fit body shape, dispersing the load to help make it possible to sit comfortably for lengthy periods. The center of the back rest is at shoulder blade height, which induces rotational movement of the chest around the seat’s pivotal axis. This is claimed to stabilize the head and thus helps to ensure a high level of support. The seat has also been made slimmer, making the overall car lighter in weight.
Synthetic Spider Silk
The threads at the back rest of the spider web-pattern construction are made from environmentally-conscious synthetic spider silk materials developed by Spiber (sic) instead of petroleum-derived materials. The main component is protein, which is created through microbial fermentation, then spun and processed into a new material offering what’s claimed to be superior shock absorbance properties.
