BackgroundIn my first engineering design course, I worked with a team of students to develop a more comfortable bike seat. We chose this topic for our final project based on our own personal experiences with discomfort while riding bikes and the prevalence of bike riding among college students like ourselves. I started our work by conducting research into current bike seat designs and the anatomical structures that cause discomfort (at right, click to enlarge).
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Design Goals
From what we learned about the causes of discomfort for bike riders, we determined that our seat design should minimize pressure on the sensitive structures in contact with the seat; encourage an upright riding position; and be firm, dynamic, and of appropriate width. Finally, we sought to make the seat as affordable as possible to accommodate college students and other casual bike riders.
Design ProcessAfter conducting background research and determining our most critical user needs, we generated several different dynamic seat concepts together. We especially drew inspiration from the famously comfortable and ergonomic Herman Miller chairs, the Eames Molded Plywood Chair (left) and the Embody Chair (right). We used concept selection matrices to select a final concept, which utilized the contours of the Eames Chair and the dynamic pixelated cushion inside the Embody Chair. We first designed an extra wide base structure with a contour that increases contact surface area between the body and seat without obstructing leg movement. I then personally designed a two-layer cushion made of gel bubbles. The bottom layer consists of larger bubbles, and the top layer consists of smaller bubbles. Together, these two layers adapt on large and small scales to body movement and posture adjustments to provide continuous support. See a 3D model of our design below.
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OutcomeOur final design is as appears in the exploded view model at right. The inside of the seat includes the three components in the image, and these would be enclosed in a fabric covering. We were not able to prototype this design due to time constraints. However, based on our research and the analogies drawn from the Eames and Embody chairs, we know that the design is dynamic and would be effective in relieving pressure. Furthermore, we believe that the contour in the back of the seat would encourage users to lean backward and ride upright. This seat also does not require any expensive materials.
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© 2020 Madison Reddie