Caring for Your Body While Traveling: The Purpose of the “Health Care Seat” Posture Improvement Advisor

YamauchiThe health care sector covers a broad scope, so the project began by examining what areas TS TECH should focus on. We subsequently decided to focus on lower back pain, one of the most common health issues worldwide. Further investigations revealed that, in many cases, lower back pain is caused by everyday posture and imbalances in the muscles from the back down to the legs. That suggested the idea that since seats are the part of the vehicle closest to the human body, they might offer a way to address these issues. That, in turn, led to the current seat development focusing on posture improvement.

MatsushitaA hunched posture tends to occur when the hamstrings, the muscles at the back of the thighs, become stiff and cause the pelvis to tilt backward excessively, and this is considered to be one of the factors that contribute to lower back pain. The Health Care Seat helps improve posture to an ideal alignment by inflating air cells to massage and loosen the hamstrings to increase flexibility, and by applying pressure to the lumbar region around the lower spine. (Fig. 4)

In-house verification testing, in which employees used the seat continuously for one month, showed improvements in flexibility and posture.

We are also examining an additional function, a mode designed to relieve menstrual pain, in collaboration with those working on femtech* research underway for another internal project. Our approach includes inflating air cells around the waist to support and stabilize the pelvis, and combining heater-based warming with massage to promote blood circulation as a solution to address health issues specific to women. (Fig. 5)



*A portmanteau of “female” and “technology,” which refers to research that applies technology to find solutions to health issues specific to women at various life stages, including menstruation, fertility, pregnancy and postpartum, and perimenopause and menopause

MizoiNo matter how attractive the product we develop is, we cannot bring our vision to life until it is actually installed in vehicles and used by end users. To that end the product has to be attractive to our customers (automotive manufacturers) in terms of not only functionality but also price.

In that regard, the Health Care Seat has strengths in its functionality, offering not just user-controlled massage, but posture and body type measurement and feedback. And since it consists solely of mechanisms around the air cells and does not use drive motors or body pressure sensors, we believe it will be able to offer competitiveness in terms of cost.

When we showcased the Health Care Seat at TS TECH’s Next-Generation Automotive Cabin Exhibition in 2022 and 2024, we received strong interest from numerous customers. In response to customer feedback, we are currently moving forward with research and development to further enhance commercial viability.

OshinoAt the same time, we are focusing on specification verification to ensure the product is viable, which includes verification of durability and interference with other components. As seats have grown increasingly multifunctional in recent years, they require an increasing number of sensors and electrical components, and one of the main challenges has been how to mount the Health Care Seat components within a confined space without generating interference. We have reviewed measurement methods that used multiple sensors placed in various areas, and simplified construction by minimizing the sensors built into the valves, achieving both weight and cost savings through component integration.

We are currently working on further refinements, such as optimizing the shape of the air cells and replacing related components with more compact ones to create a package that is easier to install as a product. Changes to air cell shape require reverification to ensure that the massage effect is not diminished, which is not a simple process, so we are pursuing development through trial and error to further improve comfort without impairing the functionality of other equipment.

MatsushitaUp until now, our evaluation work has primarily been conducted with healthy employees who work at TS TECH. But to further enhance effectiveness, I want to extend our research into more diverse perspectives by working with people from different backgrounds, including elderly individuals and those with medical conditions.

As autonomous driving and other new mobility technologies become more widespread, automotive cabin space will be expected to provide comfort and appeal that meet the broad needs of users ranging from younger to older generations. We will continue advancing effectiveness verification to enable the automotive cabin space to evolve into a space where people can relax, as if they were at home, and maintain both physical and mental well-being.

MizoiUltimately, I want this product to be a seat that makes users choose a specific car because it features this seat. As the ways people spend their time in automotive cabin space diversify, the value seats can provide should expand even further. I hope to expand the product beyond the front seats to the rear seats, too, as seats that can achieve both comfort and health. While maintaining the supportive companion concept inherited from the earlier model, we plan to continue providing products that exceed expectations worldwide and offer attractive added value as a company sincerely appreciated by all.

* This project consists of research and development into technologies related to automotive seats, and is not intended to cover manufacturing or sales of a product as a medical device.