The new Bose Ride System replaces a conventional air-ride truck seat with a sophisticated suspension base and an integrated, custom-designed seat top. The company claims it provides over-the-road truckers with "an unprecedented level of protection from road-induced shocks and vibration."

Well known for speakers, headphones and the Wave music system, the company’s founder, Dr. Amar Bose, also worked for many years on a suspension system that’s now evident in this premium truck seat. And ‘premium’ is the word, with a price tag in the region of $10,000 (since reduced to the range of $6000, more for individual sales — RL, Jan/11).
 
Bose says that even with the best conventional air-ride seats, over-the-road drivers experience constant road-induced vibration, or whole-body vibration, which can reduce comfort, add to fatigue, and stress the spine and body. All of which, it adds, can exacerbate many of the industry’s challenges, including driver retention, health care costs, and accidents.

The Bose Ride System is claimed to reduce the damaging effects of whole-body vibration, removing most road disturbances by sensing, analyzing, and counteracting the forces from the road. The proprietary technologies at work here include: a high-power linear electromagnetic actuator, capable of counteracting the forces caused by road disturbances; a regenerative amplifier, powerful enough to energize the actuator to precisely position a truck driver while drawing less average power than a 50-watt light bulb; plus sensors and proprietary control algorithms working together to counteract road disturbances before they reach the driver.

The seat is compatible with most makes and models of North American heavy-duty trucks and can be installed by a trained mechanic in under two hours, using the existing seat bolts, air line, and a 12-volt power line that connects to the truck’s battery.

It’s available directly from Bose Corporation now on a build-to-order basis for volume purchases by truck fleets, and will be offered to individual owner-operators at an unspecified later date.