1970 Jaguar Xke on 2040-cars

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Jaguar Land Rover proposes seats that scientifically massage your butt, for your health

Habitually sitting too long can degrade a person's health. Scientific research has proven that dormancy can increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, deep-vein thrombosis, and metabolic syndrome, according to the Harvard Medical School. Although sitting can be avoided in many cases, such as using a standing desk at work, taking a seat is the only option when hopping in the car for a drive. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is hoping to address this negative aspect of cars with a new high-tech seat that the company says mimics the act of walking.  JLR calls the concept a shape-shifting, or morphable, seat system, and it is currently in a trial period with Jaguar Land Rover’s Body Interiors Research division. Using actuators built into the seat's foam, the seat will constantly be in motion with micro-adjustments that can be tuned to the needs of different people and body types. JLR believes it has created a system that recreates what is known as pelvic oscillation, a motion that can supposedly trick the brain into thinking the body is walking. In addition to helping to prevent internal health issues, JLR also notes that a sedentary lifestyle can degrade and shorten muscles in the legs, hips, and rear. If these muscles are worked on a regular basis, the chance and risk of injury and back issues could potentially be reduced. The new seats are just one of many car interior technologies JLR has explored. In the past, we've seen tech that tracks brainwaves and heart rates, creates augmented reality, helps prevent motion sickness, and helps stop the spread of germs. They've also taken the time to have an expert demonstrate the perfect seating position. Most of this stuff is experimental for now, but it's possible similar features could eventually trickle down to production cars, in time. See how the seat moves in the video below. Related Video:    

Watch new Jaguar XF perform a literal high-wire act

Coming out with a new luxury sedan can be a truly daunting prospect. Make it too edgy and you'll risk disenfranchising what can often be a rather conservative customer base. Make it too conservative and you may fail to attract enough new customers or generate enough interest to make the endeavor worthwhile. Whether Jaguar succeeded in walking that thin line with the new XF is a matter of personal taste, blending as it does elements from the smaller XE and the outgoing XF it replaces. But in launching the new model, Jaguar didn't just pull of a figurative high-wire act – it did quite a literal one. To drum up support for its newest debut, Jaguar undertook the stunt depicted in the video above, stringing a pair of carbon-fiber cables some 60 feet above the River Thames in London. With some guide wires and counterbalance weights to keep it all in check, and a motion-picture stunt crew orchestrating it all, the new XF drove over 780 feet from one bank of the river to the other, setting a new world record in the process. Instead of thinking too hard about the whys (seriously, though... why?) and hows, we suggest you just watch the video above. Related Video:

Jaguar Activity Key | 2017 Autoblog Technology of the Year Finalist

In principle, the Jaguar Activity Key is a good idea. It's simple, useful, and relatively inexpensive. Unfortunately, in our testing it was less than reliable. Here's how it's supposed to work: To lock the car, leave your keys and fobs inside the vehicle, and strap the band on your wrist. Then, within 30 seconds, place your banded wrist against the letter J of the Jaguar script on the back tailgate. When you come back, you can unlock the vehicle by pressing the tailgate opening button, then, again within 30 seconds, placing the Activity Key band against the J of the Jaguar script. We chose the Jaguar Activity Key as a finalist for our 2017 Tech of the Year award because it's an uncomplicated device with lots of potential customers. Jaguar says the wristband is "robust and fully waterproof." Swimmers, surfers, kayakers, hikers, and even couples out for a sunny-day picnic could use a feature like this wristband key. Plus, wearables are pretty new as a category in general, and even more so in the automotive space. We didn't go skydiving with it or anything (an activity Jaguar cites as a potential usage case), but we did dunk it in water with no ill effects. While it all sounds good in theory, actually getting the Activity Key to work effectively was unexpectedly difficult, especially when the cameras were rolling. We tried varying the timing between closing the door and using the wristband, as well as between using the tailgate button and the wristband. It worked about half the time, regardless of our process or who was wearing the wristband. Whether our issues with the wristband were due to interference, new-technology teething problems, or just electrical gremlins, the idea of purposely locking the keys inside an automobile without having a foolproof way to unlock it gives us reason to pause. The Activity Key is a $400 standalone option on the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace, but only on Prestige, R-Sport and S models. The least expensive F-Pace with Activity Key costs $51,095.