Genesis of the 'torsorest® body balancing system'

My name is Gordon Hamilton. I hope you will be interested in finding out about the basic premise I used in the genesis of the torsorest® body balancing system.

I worked for twenty years in the container shipping industry and, during that time, I had the opportunity and pleasure to travel the World.

The only downside in having such a wonderful experience, sometimes, was the extremely uncomfortable long-haul flights. This got me to thinking, how on Earth could the situation be improved. You could say I'm a slow thinker as it's taken me twenty years but, then, I would argue I was too busy at work to seriously address the issue back then. Recently, I have taken the time to address the problem properly so, maybe, all that experience will pay off.

Having a scientific background I decided to break the problem down to first principles. Rather than looking at how I could make the seat more comfortable I decided to study what it was that made a bed an ideal sleeping position. If I understood that, then I hoped I could translate that information to the seat environment.

Two main factors emerged:

Firstly, the even distribution of the various jointed body parts over the bed ensure that no two jointed parts are supporting or counter-balancing each other. Each is supported by the bed and only the bed.

Conversely, in a seated position the upper body (torso) has to support the head via the neck and the hips and thighs have to support both the torso and the head via the spine. And all that weight then bears down on your buttocks and thighs.
Stresses on the joints and musculature are intense due to the mutual support and counter-balancing of the body parts. While awake, and able to move a little, this is tolerable. Trying to sleep, when the body tries to relax, the pressure on joints, etc, increase due to gravity taking control and everything collapses. Locked in to a twisted position the situation quickly becomes intolerable.

It is little wonder that people hate having to sleep in a seat.

The diagram here illustrates the 'good' support provided in an ideal sleeping position, each body part independently supported, with little or no counter-balancing required.

Translating that theory to a seated person the best possible solution is the insertion of a separate support for the torso and head, independent of the hips, buttocks and thighs. See the illustration below.

The theory predicted that a support, as shown (opposite), would closely replicate, for a seated person, the body part support provided by a bed. That theory was proved in practice, when, following a market survey, using only a 'mock-up' prototype, participants were overwhelmingly positive about the trial experience. 40% said they would buy it now and a further 35% said they would be interested in the final product. Even the remaining sample were largely complimentary about the product but would wait to see how it faired in the market. This last segment could either be not interested, doubters or, perhaps, slaves to fashion who are waiting to see if the product becomes popular before they commit.

it is little wonder that people hate having to sleep in a seat

The second factor to emerge from the study was that examining sleep patterns visually it is evident people sleeping in a bed adjust their positions frequently. Even in a bed, there is still some small interaction between the body parts, which requires this frequent change of position to relieve it. Because we are in a bed and we don't have to lift body parts off the surface, but rather just slide around, this movement does not require much effort and is done subconsciously, without disturbing our sleep.

Contrast this with the person trying to sleep in a seat. Their body parts are not individually supported and, therefore, the interaction between them is significant, requiring them to shift position even more frequently and widely. However, he/she cannot adjust position widely, or easily, because of the space restrictions. In fact, any movement they are eventually forced to make requires a conscious effort, and that requires waking up and disturbing sleep.

This insight reveals the second major reason why long periods in a seat are so stressful. It's the compound effect of increased joint stresses combined with less space to adjust position and greater difficulty in doing so.

The torsorest® body balancing system developed from these ideas seeks to improve both of these negative influences on comfort, health and sleep. The body balancing system independently supports all the main body parts, torso and head, thus closely replicating the natural sleeping position, in a bed. It also satisfies the second major problem for travelers just outlined - it allows them an alternative, comfortable resting position, in which they can have a reasonable degree of subconscious movement.

I hope you have found the genesis of the torsorest® body balancing system and the TorsZo hand luggage concept interesting.

Traveling long distances in a seat will never be a great experience but it can now be more comfortable, healthier and safer.

Regards

Gordon Hamilton

ceo TorsZo (UK) Ltd