Feedback system for load bearing surface

A load bearing device comprising

• a load bearing surface,
• sensor means within said load bearing surface for detecting a two-dimensional distribution of pressure exerted on said surface by an individual user of said surface,
• means coupled to said load bearing surface for changing the shape of said load bearing surface, and
• an electronic processing system for receiving the two-dimensional pressure distribution data generated by said sensor means, for automatically determining a time averaged actual comfort level from the two-dimensional pressure distribution data, and for determining if said actual comfort level of individual user is within a range of comfort level predetermined to be desirable through a correlation of subjective comfort sensations with pressure distribution attributes of a statistically valid sample of users, and if the actual comfort level is not within the range, for automatically and in real time, controlling said shape changing means to change the shape of the load bearing surface to bring the actual level of comfort into said range.

A method for electronically adjusting a load bearing surface to maintain the comfort of an individual user over time as the individual user changes position, said method comprising the steps of:

• sensing a current two-dimensional distribution of the load exerted on the load bearing surface by a particular individual user,
• receiving at an electronic processor data indicative of the two-dimensional distribution of the load exerted on the load bearing surface, and
• determining electronically through use of said electronic processor a time-averaged actual level of comfort of the particular user based on the two-dimensional distribution of load exerted on the load bearing surface and determining if the time averaged actual level of comfort is a level of comfort predetermined to be desirable through a correlation of subjective comfort sensations and pressure distribution attributes of a statistically valid sample of users,
• whenever the position of the particular user is such that the processor determines that the time averaged actual level of comfort of the particular user is not a predetermined desired level of comfort, automatically reconfiguring said load bearing surface under the control of said electronic processor so as to change the actual level of comfort so that it is a predetermined desired level of comfort,
• the load bearing surface thereby being automatically reconfigured over time in response to changes in position of the particular user of the load bearing surface to maintain the time averaged actual level of comfort of the particular user at a desired comfort level.