JLR has revealed its use of robotic testing to simulate a decade’s worth of seat usage in just five days, aiming to guarantee long-term comfort in its luxury vehicles.

The system uses four KUKA Occubots to exert over 800 Newtons of force – equivalent to around 82kg – on each seat 25,000 times, mimicking a range of human body types and movements.

The robots also test the durability of heated seat functions over 20,000 cycles in 25 days, applying forces between 350N and 700N while sliding and twisting to replicate real-life use.

Sensors and cameras monitor the tests continuously, ensuring consistent pressure and identifying potential failures.

Thomas Mueller, JLR executive director, product engineering, said: “Settling into your seat is one of the first experiences when entering one of our vehicles.

“Comfort is critical to luxury, so it’s a make‑or‑break moment for our clients and they expect a consistently comfortable ride over the life of their vehicle.

“We’ve invested in robots to work alongside our expert engineers and rigorously test every aspect of our seat materials in super quick time.

“Automation like this is a vital part of our comprehensive vehicle quality component testing programme, which helps us review vehicle elements over a lifetime of usage and in the most extreme environments.”

The testing is part of a wider programme under JLR’s £18bn Reimagine strategy. Its Gaydon headquarters includes 32 miles of test track and other facilities such as cold weather chambers, a semi‑anechoic chamber, and vehicle simulators, all designed to recreate real-world conditions for comprehensive physical and virtual testing.