MAKING CAR SEATS MORE COMFORTABLE (WITHOUT COMPROMISING SPACE)
SEOUL, April 10, 2024 — Finding the right balance of comfort and space in car seats can be a challenge. The conventional approach often involves sacrificing seat comfort for additional space, but this often results in an unsatisfactory passenger experience.
The “Ergo Motion Seat” developed by Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) aims to address just this conundrum.
Air Pockets
When the first-generation Genesis G80 was released, it boasted significantly thicker seats to enhance comfort. With the second-generation G80, the cushion bulk was reduced.
For the third-generation G80, the key was to improve overall comfort while keeping seat thickness consistent with the second-generation model. This is where air pockets, or the Ergo Motion Seat, came into play.
The Ergo Motion Seat uses air pockets that control the amount of air within the bags and customize seating posture based on the passenger’s weight. This advanced seat design comes with a total of seven air pockets: two in the bottom cushion, three in the backrest and one in each side bolster.
To effectively support the passenger’s weight, the seat utilizes durable plastic materials and a laser bonding technique, ensuring both strength and stability.
The three air pockets equipped in the backseat of the Ergo Motion Seat are both flexible and robust, thanks in large part to an integrated support structure that molds the shape of the air pockets when inflated. This support structure ensures that the air pockets provide consistent and adequate support to the passenger, regardless of their body shape or weight.
The air pockets of the bottom cushion and the backrest can inflate up to about 10 and 30 millimeters, respectively.
All functions of the Ergo Motion Seat are linked to a monitor that allows users to adjust the seat to their liking with a touch of a button.
Adjustable Settings
One of the biggest advantages of the Ergo Motion Seat is that the size of the air pockets are adjustable.
When the driving mode is set to “sport mode,” the side bolster air pockets inflate for about two seconds to firmly hold the passenger’s waist, while the air pockets in the bottom cushion deflate to allow the driver in a lower position for a more immersive driving experience.
When the drive mode is switched back to “normal,” the seating posture is returned to the previously set position.
During long-distance journeys, the Ergo Motion Seat effectively prevents drivers from experiencing “seat sagging,” the feeling of sitting lower than usual as the bottom cushion continuously compresses. The Ergo Motion Seat tackles this discomfort with its “smart posture support” function, which inflates the air pockets in the backrest to reduce driving fatigue.
After an hour of driving, the smart posture support function automatically activates, causing the air pockets in the backrest to inflate and deflate in a repetitive pattern.
The Ergo Motion Seat also comes with a massage function.
Next-Level Comfort
Further research is underway to improve the Ergo Motion Seat. One notable feature being explored is the automatic adjustment of air cushions based on the passenger’s body shape and posture. When this technology is integrated with driving data, the Group hopes to create seats that can proactively respond to different road conditions.
As the auto industry accelerates into the future, the Ergo Motion Seat stands as a testament to the ongoing transformation of comfortable mobility.