area, the buttocks and the groin. With additional modifications it can serve as a treatment delivery system for medical ailments throughout the human anatomy.

Drawings, FIGS 10 through 14, illustrate the “auto rickshaw version”. It has been field-tested in India for over one year. The auto rickshaw (tuk-tuk), FIG 27, has a small engine, three wheels and seats three passengers on thinly cushioned bench-type seats. It is the chief mode of "public transportation for hire" in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.

The auto rickshaw version weighs under 250 gm (8 oz). Fully assembled with simple hand tools in India the cost is just over $1US. It requires about one man-hour to manufacture. It can be sold as a custom fitted kit in stores anywhere for well under $1US. The kit includes glue, all materials, cutting patterns, and instructions in any language.

People come in all different shapes and sizes, as do the surfaces they sit on. Whether seat bottoms are contoured or flat, upholstered and cushioned, or not, the greatest pressure is at two bony anatomical protuberances called the ischial protuberosities, FIGS 17, 18 and 19.

FIGS 10, 11, 15 & 16 show the mechanism that shifts the user's weight from the ischial protuberosities to adjacent parts of the anatomy better suited to absorb impact, FIGS 19, 25 and 26. A static pressure map for a slab of furniture-grade foam was made at Birmingham University, FIG 20. www.foamstudies.bham.ac.uk/cushions/background.html.

A Plan view of the cushion is superimposed on the pressure map, FIGS 21 and 22. The peak pressure points are in white. The areas marked with “–” and “o” are designed to collapse under the weight of the user, FIGS 25 and 26.

Stretched furniture-grade polyurethane foam acts like a rubber band. FIG 18, section Y1 – Y1, shows the collapsed portion from another angle. It also shows the “wings” of the U-shaped plastic piece, FIG 14, being pulled upwards as the center goes down into the hole at “k”, FIG 13.

The areas marked with a “+” sign in FIG 22 are able to bear more load. The shift is instantaneous because the U-shaped plastic piece, FIG 14, is glued to the top of the foam slab, FIG 13, which stretches and absorbs shock.

Leg channels, into which the user places his thighs, are shown in FIGS 10 and 13. The dashed line in FIG 26 represents the portion of the under-thigh containing critical leg blood vessels. These are now essentially floating and flowing freely without restriction.

This improves the user’s posture, centers the pelvic area to the hole, increases the pelvic tilt angle, reduces fatigue, increases blood-flow, is particularly beneficial to user’s suffering from edema (water retention) in the legs and makes it more comfortable to sit just about anywhere.

Hemorrhoid sufferers may only have to place the sensitive areas over the hole at “k” to obtain satisfactory pain relief. Additionally, an inflated balloon can be placed in the hole, which could gently push the hemorrhoid back into the anal sphincter with the possible result of achieving longer-term pain relief.

With the advent of this cushion, both the pain of hemorrhoids and embarrassment of being seen carrying a doughnut-shaped device can be avoided.

The trim tab principle is exemplified by this invention. The user simply loads the appropriate insert, sits down and does his normal job. Now, sitting for long periods, which was considered less desirable may actually become more therapeutic and more desirable.

Examples of potentially therapeutic inserts could provide: vibration, ventilation (hot/dry/cool/moist), radio frequencies, radioactivity, light (infrared/ultraviolet), sound, electricity, moisture absorption, minerals purported to promote healing (Jade/Lapis), and magnetic fields. All have demonstrated curative effects with varying degrees of scientific verification. Possible uses are limited only by one's imagination. The insert would be removed after a period of sitting but always before traveling.

Using otherwise wasted body heat in the pelvic region to create therapeutic vapors during a work shift exemplifies utilization of energy from a heretofore untapped source.

In the pelvic region, vapors of volatile liquids containing dissolved chemicals and medicines would penetrate the user’s clothing and bathe infected areas in healing vapor. Similarly, vapors could be sent to very selected locations via surgical rubber-type tubing.

Infected areas could be coated with thin layers of energy or vapor absorbing materials and thus even small areas (as small as a dime) located in the perianal area, the buttocks and the groin can be targeted to receive maximum exposure to long term treatment.

Outside the pelvic region, a cocoon of therapeutic vapor could be released through tubing that would encapsulate the user’s body. A user could be sitting while working in his or her own personal protective or therapeutic cocoon. Persons who suffered from allergies, asthma or air-born contaminants (including second-hand smoke) or the initial out-gassing from freshly produced products might benefit from such cocoons of therapeutic or protective vapor.

The cushion can deliver medical treatment to a very sensitive, non-hygienic part of the anatomy or it can treat or protect the entire upper torso, head and lungs. The cushion now becomes a potential treatment delivery system for many human ailments.

Between 50% and 80% of all women experience lower-back pain before or after childbirth. Their body weight is changing, their center of gravity is changing, and most importantly, hormones are released which relax the muscles surrounding the birth canal. Unfortunately, these same hormones simultaneously weaken all the other muscles in the pelvic area and essentially make a pregnant woman’s body more prone to structural failure and discomfort.

Pregnant women worldwide can now benefit by being custom fitted individually on an as needed basis, at a very low cost, in just a few hours.

Properties of commercially available polyurethane slab foam vary widely from manufacturer to manufacturer in every country. The suitability of furniture-grade foam will be determined for each country where the product is manufactured.

Gluing a relatively sturdy but flexible PVC plastic base piece, FIG 12, to the bottom of the foam, FIG 13, allows bedridden persons to sit comfortably at the edge of their beds and/or get out of bed safely with minimal patient energy or nursing assistance. If post-operative in the pelvic region, the hole at “k” and thickness “e” can be adjusted to accommodate the bandages.

So far as I know, no one in India advertises anything inside an auto rickshaw! There are over 2 million auto rickshaws and hundreds of millions of riders. Potential advertisers will be contacted to consider using the cushion as give-away advertising. Owner-drivers could offer the cushions as soon as the ride gets really bumpy. An appropriate slogan might be … “When you need us the most we’ll be there to support you! … ICICI Bank”.

Direct personal relationships have been established with several physicians at Ruby Hall Clinic, a leading hospital in Pune, India. With the Managing Director's cooperation, statistically sound, verifiable and reproducible clinical trials would be conducted under the direction of licensed physicians. The first such clinical trial would involve removing back pain from pregnant women.

The second area of scientific inquiry would be targeted to persons working in call centers. Many call center employees suffer from lower-back pain. Indian call center personnel usually work six days a week, 8 to 12 hours a day. Employees with varying degrees of lower-back pain would volunteer for clinical trial testing.

Specially trained Nursing students would visit the pregnant women and call center workers regularly at work. Trial participants would be examined by physicians periodically and reports written in accordance with generally accepted clinical trial practices.

I am retired, living in Pune, India and can self-fund the initial clinical trails.

I have a BS in Physics from Georgia Tech (1960) and over 46 years of professional work experience:

16 years: Semiconductor Industry (Motorola, Westinghouse, ITT & Intel) Progressively increasing P&L responsibilities as Product Line or Plant Manager.

10 years: Refineries, Nuclear Power Plants, Hospitals, (Daniel International, Fluor Engineers and Fischbach & Moore Electrical Contractors),

6 years: (Three Phase Consulting-Owner)- Construction Manager: (PVUSA- world's 4th largest Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant) & Contracts Manager: 6 Coke-Fired Power Plants, and

14 years: (Forensic Experts LLC-Owner) Expert Witness in hundreds of litigations involving exposure to Mold, Mildew, Fungus, Friable Asbestos, Airborne Particle & Chemical Contaminants, and cases involving Construction Defects, Fraud, Accidents, and Personal Injury).

I have been a project manager for many years and I know exactly how to create and manage a team to take products from R&D to mass distribution.

Most importantly, I no longer suffer from lower-back pain.