The Seat that could put my Chiropractor
out of Business

by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

At least half of the world can sympathize with my back pain. I figured in a bad week, I spend about $200 on massages and over $100 on my chiropractor.

Recently I had a chance to sit in the new Ford Multi-Contour Seats with Active Motion™  It felt as good as a visit to the chiropractor followed by a massage. A little calculation led me to the fact that I could have a new Ford Taurus and enjoy this mini massage every day for less than I was spending on relieving my back pain. 

Ford Motor Company’s new seat technology will give drivers a massage for their aching backs, providing a refreshing and comfortable driving experience. 

Oh, my aching Back

According to the Mayo Clinic researchers, back pain ranks second only to headaches as the most frequent cause of pain. Some of this discomfort is caused by Americans spending more time than ever in vehicles, as 50 percent of drivers report having lower back pain.

According to a University of California study, the average driver spends 101 minutes per day on the road.

“Multi-Contour seats will be a real benefit for long distance drivers, or people with back trouble,” said Steve Michell, Ford product design engineer. “This seat is above the rest in North America – nobody else offers anything like it.”

Working with input from back pain specialists and orthopedic surgeons, Ford researchers and engineers have taken seat comfort and driver relaxation to a higher (or should I say more comfortable)  level. Ford’s Multi-Contour Seats with Active Motion™, an industry-exclusive feature debuting on the 2010 Taurus and Taurus SHO, could help prevent back pain.

Ford’s Multi-Contour seat contains air cushions that pad the driver and passenger’s entire back, including three for lumbar support and four for the seat pad. The bottom cushion features Active Motion technology, which provides both front seats with a soft, continuous massage. Both elements are fully programmable in order to accommodate various shapes and sizes. 

Feels good and keeps you Alert

The seat provides more comfort, while helping keep drivers more alert and safe. Active Motion massage provides minute movement and encourages blood flow, which helps prevent driver fatigue. Driver fatigue can occur when muscles become tired from remaining stationary for long periods of time. However, Multi-Contour Seats with Active Motion provides an average tension relief of 60 percent, allowing the driver to remain relaxed, even after an extended journey.

“The seat was tested for comfort on long drives,” said Jeroen Lem, a research engineer for Ford. “After a four-hour non-stop trip, the driver was able to exit the car feeling relaxed and without pain. This product keeps you moving so that you can drive longer.”
These seats have consumers buzzing.

How does this Seat work?

The “active motion” is a very subtle massage that not only provides continuous comfort, but encourages blood flow, which helps prevent driver fatigue. Driver fatigue can occur when muscles become tired from remaining stationary for long periods of time. Computer controls actually create active motion by individually inflating and deflating an array of four air bladders within the seat pan. This effect transmits subtle, changing movements in the seat occupant’s pelvis that cause continuous changes in muscular activation

Would you want this seat in your next Car?

In a recent study, four out of five people in a California test group preferred the Multi-Contour seat over the standard seat, while 20 percent said they would consider changing their vehicle brand in order to drive/own a product with this technology. Count me in the group that is ready to get a new car because the seat is so comfortable.

While most studies say the most important feature in buying a new is fuel economy, I think if you separated out people with back pain, and had them test drive the Ford seat, they might change their vote. http://www.carladynews.com/articles/Sep09/buyers.html

2010  Taurus Multi-Contour Seats merge medical know-how and Smart Design to reduce Drive Fatigue

Ford’s industry-exclusive Multi-Contour Seats with Active Motion™ offer seven air cushions to provide a subtle massage that can reduce muscle tension by up to 60 percent .

Multi-Contour Seats with Active Motion will be available in the 2010 Taurus and Taurus SHO, available in dealerships this summer. I can't wait to drive one on a long trip. And maybe I will invite my massage therapist and chiropractor for a test drive.

Madelyn Miller is a travel and automotive journalist who loves pleasure and comfort. Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.yogayaya.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com