- Ford engineers have shown off a new, innovative seat belt for mastectomy patients
- The SupportBelt is the first safety aid of its kind, and is being made available free by Ford
Engineers at the Blue Oval have introduced an accessory intended to make life a bit more comfortable for people who have required life-changing procedures. Called the SupportBelt, and announced at the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is designed to be worn by those who have had a mastectomy and are seeking extra comfort whilst travelling in a vehicle.
Intended as a product which can attach securely and easily to the seat-belt on a modern car, the SupportBelt utilizes flexible and supportive foam with a simple Velcro fastening system to help mastectomy patients travel comfortably. Ford is said to have researched, designed, and validated the product whilst developing it with input from people such as patients, doctors, and other experts.
Its core is made of soft foam, trimmed with leather for durability purposes and finished with a soft suede-like material which is actually comprised from nearly 40% recycled PET from water bottles. That’s a decent alternative to synthetic microsuede. The aforementioned Velcro fasteners permit attachment and comfortable placement of the SupportBelt.
At present, the legalese states this product is only intended for use in Ford or Lincoln vehicles, since those are the machines in which it has been fully tested. However, the company is making the design available via license for other automakers to manufacture and test in their own rigs. We will note that seat-belt design is generally standardized these days, but variations do exist, making the remark worth thinking about before you use SupportBelt in a different make of car.
The product is available at no cost to mastectomy patients in the U.S. who reserve it through the pre-order on Ford’s website.
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