Faurecia : introduces its "Active Wellness" car seat

Shanghai (China) / Nanterre (France), April 20, 2015

The world's first vehicle seating system that not only detects the physical and mental status of occupants but also invokes countermeasures to restore travelers to a healthy driving condition, was unveiled today by Faurecia, one of the world's largest automotive suppliers.
The Active Wellness seat, which Faurecia is displaying this week as a demonstrator at Auto Shanghai 2015 (Hall 5.2, booth 5BH201), represents a major advancement for automotive seating capabilities. It employs unique sensors to detect the heart and breathing rhythm of drivers and/or passengers. It then provides a very specific massage pattern, along with air flow through the seat's ventilation system, either to re-energize a tired occupant or to relax a stressed individual.
"Active Wellness is the industry's first closed-loop seating system that both detects drowsiness or stress and responds with action to relieve those conditions," said Philippe Aumont, Chief Technology Officer at Faurecia Automotive Seating. "It's also the first biometric sensing system that does not affect comfort or the visual design of the seat. And it's the first that can manage noise and vibrations while providing accurate f eedback to mechanical, thermal, pneumatic and computer systems to restore a healthy mental and physical state to drivers and passengers."
Faurecia has worked for five years to evolve the Active Wellness seat, partnering with NASA, The Ohio State University, and Hoana, a leading maker of medical devices to develop this first-of-its-kind system. The Faurecia team sought a way to help people feel better after a trip than when they entered the car. They realized that a solution would need to focus on the individual in real time, rather than a theoretical "average" person.
To develop Active Wellness, Faurecia first worked with the Spine Research Institute at The Ohio State University (USA) to develop unique tools to measure comfort in real time, and techniques to alleviate discomfort. Faurecia then worked with the team at NASA, who had previously developed sensors for space suit and aerospace applications, to review current research on acquiring vital signs with sensors that do not contact the skin. That research led to Hoana Medical, a American company that has developed non-contact sensors and sophisticated signal processing for monitoring patient vital signs. Faurecia has exclusive access to this technology for automotive applications.
Faurecia integrates Hoana sensors, exclusive algorithms and unique signal processing with the seat system in a distinctive fashion so they work seamlessly while the vehicle is moving. All data collected by Active Wellness is stored securely within the seating system.
In operation, the Active Wellness seat reads the occupant's heart rhythms and breathing patterns, responding with massage, a warming sensation or cooling to restore a healthy and comfortable condition. If the occupant has brought a wearable fitness device into the car, the seating system will use data from that device and its own sensors to understand what the individual was doing before entering the car-such as running or working out-and provide appropriate therapies, such as high ventilation to reduce skin temperature, with various heating, cooling and massage patterns.

"Active Wellness sensors gather an extensive range of specifics about the occupant's heart and breathing activity," said Robert Huber, Vice President for Innovation at Faurecia Automotive Seating. "It turns out that heart rate and breathing rate can be analyzed to understand a wide range of insights about an individual. This is all achieved with integrated sensors that never touch the skin and cannot be felt by the occupant. The Active Wellness system, which could be on the market by 2018, is an industry-changing example of Faurecia's commitment to its mission of Driving Well-Being. It's the culmination of many years of Faurecia research into ways to provide personalized comfort that adapts to the needs of each individual," Huber said. "It capitalizes on the car seat's distinct position as a location for capturing occupants' emotional status and enhancing their wellbeing."
Seat comfort is a primary decision factor in new-car buying and overall car satisfaction, so Active Wellness employs embedded sensors from Hoana that occupants do not feel, similar to those used in hospitals.
"The LifeBed™, Hoana's first product, was the world's first totally passive medical monitoring system requiring absolutely no patient compliance," said Edward Chen, President of Hoana. "The LifeBed has been used by over 100,000 medical/surgical ward acute care patients, with 10 million hours of hospital use, resulting in thousands of life-saving interventions. More recently, we've focused on bringing our technology to a wider audience, developing versions that can be used in home care and wellness applications. Working with our exclusive automotive seating partner, Faurecia, we aim to combine Hoana's advanced sensor technology with Faurecia's industry expertise to improve the overall driver experience. "

Faurecia is one of the world's largest automotive equipment suppliers in four activities: Automotive Seating, Emissions Control

Technologies, Interior Systems and Automotive Exteriors. In 2014, the Group posted total sales of €18.8 billion. At December 31,

2014, Faurecia employed 100,000 people in 34 countries at 330 sites and 30 R&D centers. Faurecia is listed on the NYSE Euronext

Paris stock exchange and trades in the U.S. over-the-counter (OTC) market. For more information, visit: www.faurecia.com

Media contact:Olivier Le Friec

Head of Media Relations

Tel: +33 1 72 36 72 58

Cell: +33 6 76 87 30 17 olivier.lefriec@faurecia.com

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