Headrest
Egyptian, 23rd century BCE (Old Kingdom)
This wooden headrest has a fluted base. Headrests were included in burials, often placed near the head of the mummy. The pair of human hands for the support makes this headrest especially appealing.
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F1 Headrests Explained
I just wanted to clear something up bc I saw a lot of concern in the notes on this post of Carlos' headrest being stuck (for the 2nd time) in Mexico.
I'm not an expert on the topic, and idk if anyone else wants or needs this post lol, but I was interested so I looked into it to learn more.
The headrest behind the drivers' heads is designed to help better absorb impact if the driver is subjected to high G-force, which could have their helmet banging around against the inside of the cockpit. It's made with an impact absorbent foam, which cushions the driver's head and rebounds slowly, as well as usually a thin layer of kevlar and/or carbon fiber on the outside.
There are quick release pins on the front of the headrest only (with pegs that slot into sockets in the back) so that the drivers can take them out themselves w/o reaching behind their heads. You always see drivers take them out, along with the steering wheel, before exiting the car at the end of a race.
However, to prepare for the case of an emergency, where a driver has to exit the car quickly, they are all required to perform FIA jump-out tests. Here, you can see an example of Bottas' and Alonso's in previous years. Neither of them remove their headrests, as it would take extra time and is ultimately unnecessary for exiting the car (the strategy seems to be one arm at a time to get the shoulders through the headrest). They have 7 seconds to exit the car, then are allowed 5 seconds to replace the steering wheel.
What may happen is that the pins/fastenings of the headrest are damaged in the exit by the driver's shoulders or legs forcibly dislodging it. This, along with the fact that the cockpit is extremely tight and it's more comfortable to do so, is why drivers generally remove the headrests when they have time, like after a race, when there's no emergency, or after a DNF if there's no rush.
To come back to the video of Carlos' headrest, people were asking if it's unsafe that Carlos' keeps getting stuck, and he has to enlist outside help to remove it. I rewatched Carlos' DNF in Austria on his onboard and on the live broadcast, and although the camera cuts away, he doesn't appear to remove his headrest to exit the car - only the steering wheel.
^In pictures of the car after, you can see the headrest still inside. So it stands that it's not technically unsafe for a headrest to get stuck as long as the driver is physically able to get himself out of the car.
However, the headrests are required to be removable without the aid of tools so that marshals can remove it in the event they need access to the driver to help him out or perform aid, as explained in this video. If Carlos had been incapacitated in any way, the marshals struggling to remove the headrest would've been an added impediment that would take time from extracting him/performing aid.
Interestingly, this video talks about how Lewis' headrest came loose in Baku in 2017 after he'd removed it for a red flag, then replaced it for the restart. You can see in this video how it started to drift up and he attempted to hold it in place, but eventually had to pit to get it replaced with a new one.
(In the same video, it's also mentioned that Jos Verstappen's life was likely saved by the headrest when he crashed in Spa in '96, w/o which we wouldn't have Max today.)
Another interesting thing I found was that it seems Carlos added a micro-headrest to try to protect his head and neck further from the effects of porpoising this year. Not sure if it's still on there, but this video from Haas also says K Mag has a small cushion added to his headrest.
All of that is to say that it's definitely unsafe for a headrest to be loose. But it being stuck is also unsafe in the event that marshals can't remove it themselves. Carlos' headrest was eventually removed by his mechanics, but they did struggle with it. I wonder if this is to do with anything specific about Mexico's climate/altitude or what, since it happened twice this weekend, that we know of.
In general, it seems that there's more focus on ensuring the headrests are secure, as they can (and have) saved lives by absorbing impacts, but are very problematic if they come loose. K Mag's came loose during a crash in 2016 and it was heavily investigated to not happen again, as they're designed to withstand high impacts.
Regardless, I'm sure Ferrari are looking into why Carlos struggled with it this weekend, as the mechanics/engineers are always striving for their drivers to be as comfortable and protected as possible in their cars.
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Is Every Office Chair with a Headrest Considered Ergonomic?
Not all office chairs with headrests can be automatically labeled as ergonomic. While a headrest can offer additional support for the neck and head, true ergonomic design involves a comprehensive approach which considers factors such as;
Lumbar support
Adjustability
Overall chair design.
Therefore, while a headrest may contribute to ergonomic comfort, it is just one aspect to consider among many in determining the ergonomic suitability of an office chair.
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