Interior for Autonomous Vehicles (Ford)
In a recent US patent application (US 20170217351) Ford is pursuing another aspect of an autonomous vehicle in which the front seats can rotate to face the back seats. In this case the company is suggesting an inflatable cushion (18, 19) between the front and rear seats that can serve as a footrest.
The inflatable cushions can extend up to the level of the seat to form a bed. “Drivers” of Ford’s autonomous vehicles should be allowed to literally sleep behind the wheel…