 |
|
|
 
Our research accelerated, now with a concrete goal-achieving characteristics
that mimic those of muscle.
However, we couldn't talk about comfort only in terms of good pressure
distribution. Respiration causes the human body to vibrate about once
every second. Obstructing this vibration is related to obstructing
blood flow, which is closely connected to feelings of discomfort.
People who are bedridden get bedsores not due to the skin being worn
away by friction; rather, constriction of blood flow is the root cause.
Measuring pressure distribution was of course important, but evaluation
of the volume of blood flow also became an important factor.
Muscle absorbs this vibration without obstructing the flow of blood.
Furthermore, it has the ability to absorb slight protrusions with
which it comes in contact. In other words, even when it is depressed
in a particular area, the surface strength has a certain degree of
firmness that provides strong support in response to pressure.
When we expanded our research to include studying the flow of blood
and the structure of the human body, we made an unexpected discovery.
In the human pelvis, there is a bony protrusion in the buttock region
called the coccyx-the "tailbone". When the coccyx is pressed
against a seat surface, it constricted the entire backbone's freedom
of motion, and quickly causes feelings of discomfort. A seat cushion
with qualities like that of muscle would be the perfect solution to
this problem. As for the support offered by a cushion with muscle-like
properties, it was found that movement of the backbone wasn't obstructed,
thanks to its "spring-zero" support at any given pressure
point. In other words, this was the birth of seating characteristics
that no longer constrict movement of the spine.
We repeated a variety of experiments to prove these theories. Up to
this point, comfort was strictly a matter of subjective, sensory evaluation.
However, we didn't want to simply conclude our research based on several
people trying it and identifying it as "somehow more comfortable
than the others".
It was crucial to express comfort level quantitatively, in a manner
that anyone could understand. In order to do that, we began conducting
research in conjunction with a university. We became absorbed in not
only investigating comfort from its psychological and mechanical standpoints,
but also from a medical point of view.
Automotive seats are exposed to a unique environment, due to the vibrations
of a moving vehicle.
We created our own shaker table to simulate these rigorous conditions,
and toiled to gather extremely precise data. Yorizane's ideals had
spread throughout the entire research team; we were unified in our
quest to achieve the muscle-like characteristics and "spring-zero"
properties that we envisioned. |
|
|
|
