X/Y/Z Headrest
Why can’t one rest her or his head on a headrest in a car properly?
My aim was to find potential automotive interior application opportunities of a bionic motion principle derived from the locomotion of fish. I came up with a headrest that can be entirely deformed in order to support the passengers head from behind, the sides and below – XYZ.
The concept is designed as a demonstration piece, so I chose an open and extroverted architecture that allows insight into the structure.
For this project I invented a mechanism that is patented by now:
It is activated by reaching behind the headrest and gently pulling the lower extensions towards the head. Thus the tension of two bowden cables decreases, which is registered as a signal by the seat, causes the headrest to be retracted and activates a winch in the lean that tightens the cables. Their drag is transfered to a PE20-structure, which folds the headrest and makes it embrace the lower back of the head to stabilize it in X, Y and Z-direction.
The scaffold is covered with TPU, which is also the comfort surface of the headrest. The combination of rigid, semi-flexible and flexible parts makes the bionic motion possible.
You can find further information about my patent DE102012025389B4 here.
