New-Gen Anti-Vibration X-Seating Technology

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Overview

Innovative vehicle seat with bio-inspired X-shaped passive-damping system that suppresses ~80% of whole-body vibrations with <1 Hz resonant frequency—better than all available systems for long-haul drivers.

  • New-Gen Anti-Vibration X-Seating Technology 0
  • New-Gen Anti-Vibration X-Seating Technology 1
  • New-Gen Anti-Vibration X-Seating Technology 2
  • New-Gen Anti-Vibration X-Seating Technology 3
  • New-Gen Anti-Vibration X-Seating Technology 4
Research completion
2022
Commercialisation opportunities
Technology licensing agreement
Problem addressed

Vehicle vibration is the main cause of back pain and other whole-body vibration (WBV) syndrome of professional bus/truck drivers. Therefore, a cost-effective high-performance anti-vibration seat matters not only to the health of professional drivers but also to the traffic and operation safety.

Innovation
  • The main working part relies only on passive structural designs. The anti-vibration system can achieve a quasi-zero stiffness in the vertical direction such that the seat cushion can be maintained at its stable level with almost no influence from the bottom vibration.
  • The achieved damping effect can be automatically changed with vibration level such that strong vibration from the bottom can be suppressed effectively while high frequency vibration will be completely isolated and not produce a “stiff” effect.
  • When vibration is stronger or payload is bigger, such special nonlinear effects can become even better, demonstrating a completely different and advantageous vibration control performance compared to all market products.
Key impact
  • Resonant frequency can be tuned to around or smaller than 1 Hz.
  • Vibration isolation can be seen clearly at 2 Hz.
  • Very reliable and endurable structural design.
  • Very cheap manufacturing cost.
Award
  • 48th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (IEIG) - Bronze Medal
Application
  • Long travelling vehicles (driver seats)
  • Public traffic vehicles (driver seats)
  • SUV, RV
  • Heavy-duty excavation vehicles (driver seats)

Patent

  • Patent number: 17/931,244 (USA) PWG/PA/1273/6/2022(US)
City University of Hong Kong (CityU)

As one of the fastest growing universities in the world over the past decade, City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is recognised as a hub for innovation in research and professional education. CityU identifies solutions to critical global challenges by extending the frontiers of knowledge both within and beyond existing research paradigms.

The University’s highly qualified academics are drawn from all over the world, not only bringing a wealth of research and professional experience to the teaching programmes, but also contributing to the knowledge and technology advancement.

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