AGR: Quo vadis, driver's seat?

Ergonomic seats and design guidelines for a body-friendly posture are already offered by some manufacturers. The Aktion Gesunder Rücken (AGR) deals, among other things, with the ergonomics of vehicle seats. According to the AGR, for back-friendly sitting in the vehicle, the basic structure of the seat should fit to ensure safety in the vehicle. The body should also be supported in such a way that tension and back pain are prevented.

Ergonomically on the move

An adjustable 4-way lumbar or pelvic support is considered a must. According to the AGR, the headrest also plays an important role—but as a safety feature and not to support the head. Otherwise, it could lead to faster fatigue and increase the risk of microsleep.

The headrest should be sufficiently adjustable in height, ideally also adjustable forwards and backwards. It should not negatively influence the natural sitting posture. Additional functions such as heating or a massage function could also provide comfort to counteract muscle tension. These functions should definitely be adaptable.

According to the AGR, back-friendly vehicle seats must be adjustable in any case, so that the load on the back is significantly minimized. A problem regarding back health is that, especially for the driver and not least for safety reasons, there is little room for the important postural changes. Thus, back pain could occur during frequent and long drives due to incorrect settings.

Driver and passenger seats should allow for individual adjustment of the seat surface, seat height, headrest, and seat areas through many different adjustment functions and thus be able to adapt to individual needs.

And in commercial vehicles?

According to information from the AGR, the minimum requirements for commercial vehicle seats include: longitudinal adjustment, stepless seat height adjustment, seat surface extension and tilt adjustment, one-step backrest tilt adjustment, adjustable side support, individual and large-area lumbar support, high backrest (shoulder blade height) with headrest, spine-friendly backrest shape and structure, and easily accessible controls.

Sensible features also include seat heating, passive or active air conditioning, a suspension/damping system, tilt and foldable armrests on both sides, belt height adjustment, and backrest-headrest tilt adjustment.

What can the vehicle seat of the future do?

A so-called memory function for vehicle seats is already available, with a board computer storing the preferred seating position in the driver's profile, so different drivers can quickly return to their optimal seat settings. According to the AGR, an algorithm has also been developed that predefines a seat setting based on body height, which can then be finely readjusted.

With all these adjustment possibilities, movement and frequent position changes are extremely important for the back. How could more movement be introduced into sitting in the future? One possibility would be automated posture recognition, according to the AGR. Using sensors, the seat could recognize that the driver should make a postural change and pass on the corresponding stimuli to the driver.

More movement while sitting?

Even better would be if the seat promotes postural changes by altering the seat position. Similar concepts could also be imagined for temperature or muscle tone. As soon as the vehicle detects that we are tensing up, a heating and massage function could be activated, or another movement-promoting function could be turned on. Just like fatigue detection, a message on the dashboard screen recommending a movement break could be conceivable.

In any case, the focus should be even more on the health aspects when traveling in the vehicle, says Aktion Gesunder Rücken. In particular, a truck fleet with back-friendly driver seats and ergonomically correct regeneration areas, such as rest seats and beds, could make a meaningful contribution to the health of the truck driver and prevent back-related downtimes.