​​What We Mean by Zero Gravity Seats​

Almost any car seat feels comfortable when you first sit down. The real test comes during a long trip when you’re sitting in a seat for hours. Comparing seats side-by-side after long-term driving is challenging, but it’s clear that some seats keep you feeling better than others during extended periods. Vehicle testers at Kelley Blue Book (KBB.com) often take vehicles on long trips and switch into different models to test such things. Dick Smith INFINITI is proud to hear them say: “…in hour five of a long drive, we often find ourselves more alert and relaxed in a car built by Nissan or its INFINITI luxury marque.” A specific reason for this is rooted in extensive ergonomic research from early in the NASA program. 

If you have enough gray hair to remember NASA’s Gemini or Apollo space programs, or perhaps you have peered into the returned capsules at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum or the space museums at the Kennedy or Johnson Space Centers, one thing becomes immediately clear: those capsules were really cramped. When the Gemini astronauts weren’t spacewalking or the Apollo astronauts weren’t hopping around on the moon or traveling between the lunar and command modules, they were sitting in their seats, often for days at a time.  

To prepare for this, NASA scientists studied ergonomics for astronauts who spend days strapped into their seats. They developed the concept of “neutral posture,” which is the position that puts the least pressure on our joints and helps reduce fatigue during long periods of sitting. Infiniti’s parent company, Nissan, explored that research to see if and how it could be applied to car seats. Nissan later collaborated with scientists at the Yamazaki Laboratory at Keio University in Tokyo, who took biometric readings from dozens of drivers of different body types while driving long distances. They also collected blood samples to measure lactic acid, scientifically quantifying muscle fatigue. Additionally, they used a “seat simulator” that could apply pressure to various parts of the body for analysis. 

Based on this, they discovered a way to provide optimal support through 14 specific pressure points that keep the body as close to a neutral posture as possible while driving. This fundamentally changed the structure of the seat, and the results made long drives significantly more comfortable. 

“14 pressure point seats” doesn’t sound particularly appealing, so the term “Zero Gravity” seats was coined in honor of the purpose of the original research and the conditions in which the initial seats from that research were. 

You will find Zero Gravity Seats on these models at Dick Smith INFINITI:   

• QX50 
• QX55 
• QX60 
• QX80 

Some trims of these models go the extra mile and include a massage function (wouldn’t the astronauts have appreciated that!), but even without those features, you’ll enjoy the comfortable seats proven by science to be ideal for long-term driving.