car seat, with G.Pozzi and E.Zerbi

prototype B&B Italia; Lancia

This prototype of a car seat for Lancia was produced by B&B Italia research centre. It experimented the cold-foam plastics with different densities, vacuum-moulded in the plastic upholstery and thermo-welded, technologies commonly used in the furniture industry. The designers achieved this result by trial and error, initially finding that this was a seat subjected to the stresses involved in the vehicle movement. Since a traditional seat offered little support to the body, they studied possible variations, also very modest ones, as to better adapt it for suiting different body structures. In particular, the contribution of Zerbi, an orthopaedic specialist, was decisive in determining how the body can adapt to the upholstered seats and which parts required special support. Using various models in plasticine, the designers studied the structure of the car body, over which they installed different kinds of padding until the correct driving position was achieved