Mobile Aircrew Crashworthy Seating Systems for Helicopters

Infoscitex proposes an innovative seating system for helicopter mobile aircrew, which is designed based upon a number of creative ideas. (a) A turning table, as the base of the entire structure, allows the seat to turn around by any degree. (b) A retractable sliding track, mounted on the turning table, allows the seat to move in any direction by as far as 4 ft. (c) A robot seat frame, using four pneumatic control rods to control seat frame motion, provides adaptable support and optimal energy attenuation to each individual occupant. (d) An extensible five-point harness belt allows the occupant to rapidly transition from seated to half-standing and to full standing position and provides security to aircrew while reaching out of the aircraft to perform mission duties. (e) A seat cushion with optimized configuration and material provides improved seating comfort. The seat is stowable, and its weight is minimized for its sophisticated structure. In phase I, we will further develop our proposed concept, perform conceptual design, complete and refine the system architecture, and prove our preliminary concept using virtual testing. In phase II, the concept will be fully tested and proved, and a prototype will be constructed, analyzed, tested, and evaluated.