Contours of Comfort: Mapping Pressure Landscapes Across Anthropometric Seating Interfaces

The proposed work evaluated the impact of seat cushion contouring on interface pressure distribution to identify design strategies that enhance seating comfort. The three customised cushions are labelled as Blank Test (BT) flat in shape, Centre Trough (CT) bowl shape, Centre Crest (CC) having a bulged shape. To assess the interface pressure at the popliteal and ischial regions of 10 male participants, a cuff-based digital pressure metre was used. The result exhibited that the CT cushion incurred the lowest mean pressure of 42.05 mmHg, outperforming both the BT: 57.45 mmHg and CC: 43.4 mmHg configurations. These results affirm the CT design’s superior capacity to diffuse pressure and reduce concentrated loading zones. Moreover, the results of one-way analysis of variance reflected statistically significant differences ( p < .05) among the three cushion designs. Additionally, the study also recommends the use of a digital blood pressure monitor as a reliable and accessible method for seat-body interface pressure mapping. Collectively, the findings demonstrate that bowled cushion geometry enhances comfort by optimising pressure distribution and minimising peak interface loads. The results of the current work hold a significant potential for ergonomic chair design in both clinical and occupational domains.