The Effect of Lumbar Support Prominence on Driver's Comfort and Body Pressure Distribution

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of lumbar support prominence on comfort and body pressure distribution of an automobile seat to determine the most favorable lumbar support prominence level during short-term driving. Fifteen male drivers drove the automobile on road for a distance of 3 km at 3 different levels of lumbar support prominence: 10 mm, 30 mm and 50 mm. The body pressure distributions were recorded, and subjective ratings on the whole body comfort and the discomfort at 10 body regions were evaluated as well. For subjective ratings on comfort and body pressure distribution, 10mm of lumbar support prominence was found to be most favorable in short-term driving. The ratios of body pressure variables varied among three measurement points of time: before driving, middle of driving and after driving. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to measure the body pressure distribution on the static seating buck or on the simulator in order to investigate the driver's comfort.

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