Criteria
Tests to determine reclining ranges that provide both comfort and safe vehicle operation were performed at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. These tests included drivers of varying heights and preferred seating positions. The results concluded a seat could recline 10 degrees from the driver's "home" position before any difficulty reaching the steering wheel or safely seeing out of the rear/side view mirrors occurred.

Rose-Hulman found no issues when the seat was inclined. Every driver could safely operate all of the controls and see out of all the mirrors with the seat tilted completely forward. By finding the maximum range of movement for safe vehicle operation, Rose-Hulman concluded that the 3 to 5 degrees movements created by the algorithm of our software would not impair the driver's ability to safely operate the vehicle.

Safe and Simple
Safety was our utmost concern during the development of the Comfort Motion Technologies Multiple Seat Position Software, especially within the Concept Initiation Phase. Our focus on safety as well as ease of operation are two important factors in ensuring our commercial success.

Seating Position and Posture
Prior to the Rose Hulman Institute of Technology testing (which included 144 drivers), Comfort Motion Technologies also conducted additional research to establish "correct seating posture" and "safe seating positions". Industry resources including NRMA Insurance and Advanced Motorist Drive Magazine were utilized; their guidelines for both correct posture and safe seating were "constants" throughout our study.

Correct Seating Posture

1 Sit with your buttocks as close as possible to the backrest. The ideal position is having your leg slightly bent when you press a pedal to the floor. 2   Your shoulders should be as close as possible to the backrest. To achieve that, you should adjust the angle of the backrest to the point when you can easily reach the steering wheel with your arms bent. 3   Adjust the seat height to the highest comfortable position. And if you have a seat tilt facility in your car, the advice is to choose a tilt angle that allows you to easily press the foot pedals down to the floor. The backrest angle should also be adjusted to complement the tilt angle in getting a good driving position. 4   The fore and aft facility also comes into play where thigh support is concerned. You should adjust the distance in such a way that your thighs are in contact with the seat cushion almost up to the back of you knees. A guide here is that the distance between the edge of the seat and the back of your knees should be approximately two or three fingers wide. 5   The upper edge of the headrest should be aligned with the top of the head since the headrest plays an important part in good driving posture. And if the headrest angle can be adjusted, it should be selected in such a way that there is approximately three quarters of an inch between your head and the headrest.

Safe Seating & Head Restraints Position

Ground Transportation Demand 1 Before turning on the ignition, adjust seat, mirrors, seat belt and head restraint. 2   The top of a head restraint should be at least eye-level height. 3   Drivers must have a clear view of the road and be able to reach the controls easily without being cramped. 4   The distance from the steering wheel should be at least 30cm (11.8 inches). 5   Passengers should never put their feet or knees on or against the dashboard.

Front Vision

1 Rose-Hulman data concluded that at no time during the seat motion cycle was the driver's forward vision compromised in relationship to the "home" stationary position. 2   Throughout the entire cycle the seat pan has no forward or reverse movement, nor any up and down movement.

Pedals Location
Rose-Hulman data concluded the driver's relationship to the accelerator, brake, and clutch pedal is not compromised during the entire seat motion cycle.

Automatic Pause Mode
CMT's patented software automatically pauses its cycle during braking and automatically resumes operation following a brief delay.

Seat Belt Safety
Rose-Hulman data concluded the driver maintains the same degree of safety in relationship to the seat belts throughout the entire seat motion cycle.