People in self-driving cars to ride in comfort
Adient unveils luxury seats for autonomous vehicles
When autonomous cars do take to the road in numbers, they also could open new possibilities in seating comfort for their passengers and the person in the driving seat.
Adient, the newly spun-off automotive seat manufacturer once part of Johnson Controls, unveiled its concept design for luxury seats in autonomous vehicles during its first presentation at the North American International Auto Show on Monday.
Called the AI17, the front seats swivel out when a car door opens and, once the vehicle is presumably in self-driving mode, can do a deep recline to a “zero gravity” position. There are embedded control panels that rise from the armrests like giant TV remotes. And the rear seats also can accomplish significant reclines.
The AI17 seats are much thinner than those in most cars today and feature a “comfort shell” that conforms to the body while supporting the lumbar. The system will be ready for its commercial debut by 2020, said Richard Chung, Adient’s vice president of innovation.
“The concept features innovations that increase interior flexibility, while also providing occupants with higher levels of safety, comfort and convenience,” Chung said.
Adient recently announced plans to move its global headquarters to the Marquette Building in downtown Detroit, across the street from Cobo Center. The move will involve a $50 million renovation to the building and is expected to be finished by late 2018. Adient will then have about 500 employees downtown.
Adient is a publicly traded company with about 75,000 employees worldwide in 230 offices, labs and manufacturing facilities in 33 countries.
Adient was spun off from Johnson Controls, which was based in Glendale, Wis., and merged with Tyco International plc to become Johnson Controls International plc last year.