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Florida Tech Professor Helping Develop Car Seats

By  //  April 9, 2013

Two-Year $50,000 Contract

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Pierre Larochelle, assistant dean of the Florida Institute of Technology College of Engineering and a professor of mechanical engineering, has received a two-year, $50,000 research contract  to develop synthesis algorithms for the design of novel mechanisms for car and truck passenger seats.

Florida Tech mechanical engineering professor Pierre Larochelle has received a two-year, $50,000 research contract from Magna Seating to develop innovative new mechanisms for car and truck passenger seats. (Image courtesy of Florida Tech)

The contract is with Magna Seating of America and the mechanisms developed by Larochelle will allow simultaneous positioning of both seat cushions and seat backs in multiple coordinated positions.

“This new design capability will enable Magna Seating’s engineers to design the next generation of passenger car and truck seats,” said Larochelle.

In this collaborative effort between industry and academia, Larochelle and his students in the Robotics & Spatial Systems Lab are working with Ron Zimmerman, a product engineering specialist in Magna Seating’s Research & Development Group.

Magna Seating is a wholly-owned operating unit of Magna International, a leader in the development and manufacture of high quality complete seating systems, seat structure and mechanism solutions as well as foam & trim products for the global automotive industry. ‘

The company’s capabilities range from consumer and market research, full concept development, design and engineering, testing and validation to world-class manufacturing of seating sub-components and complete seat assemblies.