'Robutt' Simulates 10 Years of Butts on Car Seats

While crash-test dummies and other assembly-line machines seem to get the raw end of the deal, a different robot has a much cushier job: It tests car seats.

Meet Robutt, which makes sure the seats of your new car stay nice and comfy by simulating about 10 years' worth of wear and tear to see how the seat holds up.

Before the carmaker set Robutt to work, Ford had people enter and exit a car that had been outfitted with pressure sensors on the driver's seat. As the people sat down and stood up, the sensors recorded how much weight their butts put on the seat and how it was distributed over time. The engineers then used that information to create an average sitting and standing pattern, which Ford calls a "perch pattern," to show how a typical person might use their car's seat.

As of 2015, the average age of a car rose to 11.5 years, and about a quarter of all cars still in use were bought before the turn of the century, according to data collected by the U.S. Department of Transportation and a financial analysis company called IHS Markit, CNBC reported. As people hold onto their cars for longer than ever, Robutt's representative rear end will ensure drivers and passengers continue riding in comfort.

Dan Robitzski is a staff writer for Live Science and also finishing up his master's degree at NYU's Science, Healthy & Environmental Reporting Program. Formerly a neuroscientist, Dan decided to switch to journalism and writing so that he could talk about transparency and accessibility issues within science. When he's not writing, he's either getting beaten up at fencing practice or enduring the dog breath of his tiny, affectionate Chihuahua. He also spends too much time on Twitter at @danrobitzski.