A shock mitigating suspended seat which places the Special Forces Operator in an optimal ergonomic position will be developed for use in small Maritime Combatant Craft. It will feature an actively controlled shock absorber to optimize the suspension for a broad range of operator weights and sea states. In Phase I, a conceptual design of all the major components as well as the architecture for both control hardware and software will be developed. This will provide the basis for the detailed design and fabrication of a prototype system capable of withstanding extended proof of concept and feasibility testing in Phase II. Dynamic modeling will be used to predict system benefits and provide sensor and actuator requirements that will be used during the design process. The seat will be designed to fit into the same foot print as the current bolster system and will allow ease of rapid ingress and egress for the boat crew and operators. The seats will not interfere with craft performance or operator and boat crews duties. A cost/performance study will be conducted to determine the total system cost as well as the cost sensitivity to performance goals. The shock mitigating suspended seat will transmit much lower peak G-forces to the occupant during high speed maneuvers than currently implemented systems. This will reduce occupant fatigue and injury and allow safer operation of the vehicle. By addressing cost of manufacturing, the ability to manufacture in volume, foot-print, and performance, successive design iterations will be built upon the first design to extend the commercial viability of the suspended seat. A progression from lower volume sea based applications of Special Forces high speed boats, to off-shore racing boats to high speed pleasure boats will drive the initial commercialization plans of the product. A transition to land based applications and a similar progression of increased sales volume and decreased peak G performance requirements is planned starting with military trucks, then heavy construction equipment, into wheel chairs, and finally into long haul trucking applications. In successive applications, successful developments to address each market will be rolled into previous designs and, as far as possible, improve performance or lower cost. In all the applications, the basic benefits of lower peak Gs transmitted to the occupant while retaining the "feel" of the vehicle for control will be retained.
Keywords: SHOCK, BOAT, SEAT, ACTIVE, CONTROL, DAMPER
