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Flat Cushion vs Shaped Cushion: Comparison in Terms of Pressure Distribution and Postural Perceived Discomfort

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Proceedings of the 21st Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2021) (IEA 2021)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 220))

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  • The original version of this chapter was revised: [Fiorillo, I., Song, Y., Vink, P. & Naddeo, A. 2021, Designing a shaped seat-pan cushion to improve postural (dis)comfort reducing pressure distribution and increasing contact area at the interface. In: Proceedings of the Design Society, pp. 1113. doi:10.1017/pds.2021.111. The correction to this chapter is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74605-6_101

Abstract

A proper seat is crucial not only for preventing health issues but also for the (dis)comfort perception. In the design of a seat, the seat pan’s geometric shape, either in or under the cushion, plays a vital role as it constrains the deformation of the foam it supports. The contact area and pressure distributions between the foam and the human body, closely associated with (dis)comfort, are influenced by those constrained deformations. In this paper, using a comparative study, the aim is to determine if opportunely shaped seat pans are better than a standard flat pan regarding postural comfort and pressure distribution. Two cushions with the same type of foam but two different seat pans were used in the comparison. The first seat pan is the standard one used in current aircraft seats and the second is a shaped seat pan, which was designed following the mean buttock-thigh shape of an international population (including P5 females and P95 males). Twenty-two international participants (11 males and 11 females, with BMI between 16 and 30) took part in the blind experiment. Results indicated that the cushion with shaped seat pan performed better as it led to less postural comfort, a larger contact area and more uniform pressure distribution. Also, 64% of participants favored the cushion with the shaped seat pan as they felt it was more comfortable and suitable for the buttock shape.

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Change history

  • 20 January 2023

    The reference number [24] was misspelled and should be revised were incorrect in the original version of this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy

    Iolanda Fiorillo & Alessandro Naddeo

  2. Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CE, Delft, Netherlands

    Yu Song, Maxim Smulders & Peter Vink

Authors
  1. Iolanda Fiorillo
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  2. Yu Song
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  3. Maxim Smulders
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  4. Peter Vink
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  5. Alessandro Naddeo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Iolanda Fiorillo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Département de génie mécanique, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB, Canada

    Nancy L. Black

  2. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    W. Patrick Neumann

  3. Toronto, ON, Canada

    Ian Noy

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Fiorillo, I., Song, Y., Smulders, M., Vink, P., Naddeo, A. (2021). Flat Cushion vs Shaped Cushion: Comparison in Terms of Pressure Distribution and Postural Perceived Discomfort. In: Black, N.L., Neumann, W.P., Noy, I. (eds) Proceedings of the 21st Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2021). IEA 2021. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 220. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74605-6_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74605-6_31

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-74605-6

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