314 Int. J. Human Factors Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 2, No. 4, 2011 Copyright © 2011 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. A light weight car seat shaped by human body contour M. Franz, I. Kamp*, A. Durt and Ü. Kilincsoy BMW AG Forschungs – und Innovationszentrum Knorrstrasse 147, D-80788 München, Germany E-mail: Matthias.Franz@bmw.de E-mail: Irene.kamp@bmw.de E-mail: Alexander.Durt@bmw.de E-mail: Uemit.Kilincsoy@bmw.de *Corresponding author H. Bubb Lehrstuhl für Ergonomie, Technische Universität München, Boltzmannstrasse 15 D-85747 Garching, Germany E-mail: bubb@lfe.mw.tum.de P. Vink Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Landbergstraat 15, 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands E-mail: p.vink@tudelft.nl Abstract: The aim of this study is to develop a light-weight, comfortable seat. The idea is to shape a seat with a minimum of material by using the contour of the seated human. Twenty-five participants were asked to sit in a vacuum mattress placed on a wooden seat frame with similar angles as the car seat construction angles. They were instructed to sit in a comfortable position and perform driving movements. The mattress was then fixed, the contour scanned and digitised. All scans were superimposed giving input for a seat shell design made out of glass fibre laminate. The comfort experience of the shell was tested by 25 participants and compared with a standard BMW seat. The study shows that it is possible to create a rather comfortable seat using the human surface anatomy. However, more research on defining the specific form for the ideal shell is needed. Keywords: seat requirements; sitting comfort; car seat; seat shell; light weight; seat development; seat design; comfort experience; body contour; digital contour. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Franz, M., Kamp, I., Durt, A., Kilincsoy, Ü., Bubb, H. and Vink, P. (2011) ‘A light weight car seat shaped by human body contour’, Int. J. Human Factors Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp.314–326.