Hogwarts students are lucky! All they have to do is put on a hat and it will tell them how life at school will go. In the Muggle world we live in, things are a bit more difficult. A good example is how car seats are designed.
Instead of putting on a hat, engineers study a science called “ergonomics.” Loosely translated that means figuring out how to make us comfortable while in a particular environment; in this case, sitting in a car.
The first cars were modified carriages so it should come as no surprise that the seats resembled those used in carriages. Seats were bench style, stuffed usually with a mat of horsehair and covered in leather or cloth. With few modifications, this is how seats were made for many years. Some sporty cars were so small that a bench seat wouldn’t fit, so automakers split it, and the bucket seat was born.
Once the style debate was over, car makers finally decided to see if people could actually sit in one of their products for more than the time it takes to shoot a photograph. At first, seat tracks were put on an angle so that they brought shorter drivers closer to the steering wheel and raised them up to see better over it. Keep in mind movable steering columns and movable pedals hadn’t been invented yet.
The Sorting Chair
Unfortunately people don’t come in standard sizes and the search for a comfortable seat continued. This led to the development of “The Chair.” There is a nice, long engineering name for this contraption, but I’m going to stick with The Chair.
The Chair actually comes in several different types, from simple with mechanical measuring devices to fully modern with infrared sensors and such. In any case, the job of The Chair is to measure selected dimensions of seated passengers: 1) the distance from your bottom to your arms and to the top of your head; 2) the distance from your back to the tip of your knee; 3) the length from your knee to the bottom of your foot; 4) the length of your arms from our shoulder to your hands and the most recent addition, 5) your width at the shoulders and across your butt.
Power to the People
With these dimensions, engineers can make a seat that fits nearly everyone. If you happen to be outside of the normal range like some of us, getting comfortable in a seat takes extra time. Once I had been in The Chair it showed me why I had such trouble getting comfortable in some cars and others were so easy. It actually made me a better reviewer and it made me appreciate infinitely adjustable 12-way power seats more than ever!
Instead of putting on a hat, engineers study a science called “ergonomics.” Loosely translated that means figuring out how to make us comfortable while in a particular environment; in this case, sitting in a car.
The first cars were modified carriages so it should come as no surprise that the seats resembled those used in carriages. Seats were bench style, stuffed usually with a mat of horsehair and covered in leather or cloth. With few modifications, this is how seats were made for many years. Some sporty cars were so small that a bench seat wouldn’t fit, so automakers split it, and the bucket seat was born.
Once the style debate was over, car makers finally decided to see if people could actually sit in one of their products for more than the time it takes to shoot a photograph. At first, seat tracks were put on an angle so that they brought shorter drivers closer to the steering wheel and raised them up to see better over it. Keep in mind movable steering columns and movable pedals hadn’t been invented yet.
The Sorting Chair
Unfortunately people don’t come in standard sizes and the search for a comfortable seat continued. This led to the development of “The Chair.” There is a nice, long engineering name for this contraption, but I’m going to stick with The Chair.
The Chair actually comes in several different types, from simple with mechanical measuring devices to fully modern with infrared sensors and such. In any case, the job of The Chair is to measure selected dimensions of seated passengers: 1) the distance from your bottom to your arms and to the top of your head; 2) the distance from your back to the tip of your knee; 3) the length from your knee to the bottom of your foot; 4) the length of your arms from our shoulder to your hands and the most recent addition, 5) your width at the shoulders and across your butt.
Power to the People
With these dimensions, engineers can make a seat that fits nearly everyone. If you happen to be outside of the normal range like some of us, getting comfortable in a seat takes extra time. Once I had been in The Chair it showed me why I had such trouble getting comfortable in some cars and others were so easy. It actually made me a better reviewer and it made me appreciate infinitely adjustable 12-way power seats more than ever!
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| 2012 Chevrolet Traverse 2LT AWD (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |