One of SOCOM’s priorities on the Maritime side of the house was shock mitigation for the passengers and crew on SOC-R boats. SHOXS had an interesting array of shock absorbing seats at SOFIC 2014. There is a considerable amount of sophistication that goes into these seats, for example instrument consoles, which are integral to the seat and can be manufactured to fit any instrument cluster.
Marine designers have a unique challenge with planing hulls and most of the effort to address shock mitigation has focused on hull designs. Seating suspension systems typically rely on a passive suspension to absorb shock imparted to crews and passengers from hydrodynamic interaction with the hull. SHOXS seats use a semi-active suspension system, which is a computer based approach that adjusts suspension parameters for varying conditions. Occupant weight is also considered in the operation of the seat resulting in a broader dampening or shock absorption across a wide array of conditions.