To create a bionic anything, the biological component needs a physical point of contact. The ExoSeat is intended to support the operator’s anatomy and nothing more. The SR-X is intended to be modular, allowing build flexibility. I am eliminating automotive restrictions and designing the seat based on specific requirements. I am not concerned with amenities. The seat is based on ergonomics and athleticism. It must provide comfort for long trips. The issue begins with providing bolstering to keep the operator in the seat, while still providing free movement of the entire body. Freedom and security simultaneously.

Ride discomfort means a very short journey. I started by looking for types of seats designed for sitting for long periods. Instead of looking for the best car seats, I started looking for the most comfortable seat. I spent a lot of time researching massage chairs. They have comfort covered, but they’re very heavy. Even though the Rover has the interior volume and suspension to support a massage chair, they’re restrictive. The Rover is a driver’s vehicle, not a limousine. As I stripped away more and more unnecessary features of a massage chair, I had to face the fact that it wouldn’t work for this. I need to go bare bones.

My searching led me to racing simulator rigs. Another component of the Rover’s interior is a motion platform. Kill two birds with one stone. The problem then became, those chair look cool, but are really very comfortable. I started noticing a lot of gamers mentioning office chairs. I’m not a simulator gamer, but they would know better than me. Many times I kept getting directed to the Hayworth Fern and the Herman Miller Embody office chairs. What stood out the most, was flexibility. The pixel segmented supports of the Embody proved to be what I need. It only need enough recline to meet my headroom requirements. I’ve never designed a seat, outside of using a drawing tablet. I’ve just discovered AI and with the ability to put what’s in my head into a digital format is new. My only concern is to just build it. The Embody seems to be the starting point for now. At least until something better intervenes.