Lincoln Concept Offers 30 Ways to Flex Your Seat

Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln unit has developed a new concept car seat that can be adjusted 30 ways to help maximize comfort, support and personalization.

Lincoln benchmarked other luxury cars and high-end private airplanes to develop the seat system. The company says it has 50 patents pending related to the various technologies and is reviewing the potential of 100 more patents.

The seat's modular design includes a flexible carrier suspension system that Ford says supports and conforms to a wide range of body types. Made of plastic and a thin layer of foam, the carrier system is designed to flex around the body to help reduce stress from an occupant's shoulders and neck.

Support for the lower body and legs is provided by two extending thigh cushions, each of which can be independently extended or retracted and moved up or down. This allows a driver to tailor the adjustments as needed for each leg, which Ford notes may be quite different when the left leg is at rest and the right leg is operating foot pedals.

A special rolling-pattern massage function in the seat back and cushion can reduce fatigue, aches and pains by keeping muscles and blood vessels stimulated in the legs and lower back, Ford says.

Venetian leather and a variety of other "sumptuous" materials are used to maximize comfort. The seat has built-in heating and cooling.

The 30 adjustments include six ways to move the track and four settings each for the head restraint, lumbar, thigh support and cushion extension. There also are six different ways to adjust the various back and seat bolsters and two ways to recline.

Lincoln says such flexibility can help occupants stay refreshed and alert while driving. A video demonstration is available here.