Lexus’s New Seat Design May Knock You Out of Yours

Spider silk saddles could be coming to a sedan near you

September 20, 2016 9:00 am

Spider silk: It’s not just for North Face parkas, Patagonia jackets and Charlotte’s webs anymore.

Lexus has used a synthetic version of the super-strong, super-lightweight material to create a new kind of car seat that supposedly has the ability to kinetically shift with the weight of its passenger.

Creatively named the Kinetic Seat Concept (not), the Halloween-colored chair’s backrest features protein-based synthetic threads spun in the shape of a spine-supporting spider web.

Set to debut at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, the shock-absorbing seat will also help keep its occupant’s field of vision steady as well as make sitting during prolonged road trips a comfortable experience for people of all shapes and sizes.

“The center of the back rest is at shoulder blade height, which induces rotational movement of the chest around the seat’s pivotal axis,” according to Lexus. “This helps to stabilize the head and thus helps to ensure a high level of support.”

If spider silk really is that comfortable, it could lead to a new web — er, wave — of backseat driving.

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