Imagine jumping out of your big rig at the end of a long day feeling as supple and refreshed as the minute you started.
That scenario is coming close to a reality with a new seat software program from a company called Comfort Motion Global. The software is designed to make regular but subtle changes in the geometry of electronically actuated seats. These changes redistribute the driver’s weight every few minutes and relieve pressure points throughout the torso and legs. This improves blood flow and reduces the aches and pains that come with prolonged seating.
(Check out the GIF below for an animation of how the seat software works.)
It’s not exactly a massage chair, but the effect is similar. And while keeping your drivers comfortable is a worthwhile endeavor, reducing driver fatigue and thus accidents is a significant objective as well.
Some 13 percent of commercial vehicle accidents have been partially attributed to fatigue. The National Transportation Safety Board has made reducing fatigue related accidents a priority.
Paul Phipps, the chief medical officer for CMG and the primary inventor of the technology, says that reducing driver fatigue was not the original goal of the software, but in testing the system in driving simulators found it very effective at just that. “We were able to show about 200 milliseconds of improvement in reaction times after the third hour,” says Phipps. “At highway speeds that can mean an additional 17 or 18 feet of additional stopping distance.”
Testing also found some surprising psychological benefits including a 46 percent improvement in perceived discomfort and a 50 percent improvement in mood.
