Robin Macan, a civil engineer in Australia, wondered: "Why hasn't someone invented a comfortable bicycle seat?" The central flaw with every bicycle seat on the market, Macan concluded, was that "No amount of cushioning can compensate for the inherent pain points on the human body."

Macan came up with an idea for an articulating bicycle seat, and worked up a rough prototype. The Inventors Association of Australia, a nonprofit that provides networking and support for inventors, holds regular meetings; Macan brought his prototype to one, seeking help. At the meeting, he connected with industrial designer Philippe Guichard, and the two began to collaborate on the design.

After two years of work, Macan and Guichard joined forces with Whistle, an Australian industrial design and engineering firm. Together they brought the project over the finish line. Macan's company, AtaraxyBSC, is now preparing to launch the vabsRider seat. The company calls it "the ideal bike saddle: dynamic, flowing, in motion with your body and pain-free."

"The vabsRiderTM transfers the pressure from the sit bones to the femurs ensuring an evenly distributed load."

"The innovative split seat design allows for individual movement of the legs, rotating around the hip joints on an axis that is virtual to the seat."

Here's what it looks like in action:

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The company is currently conducting public testing, holding events at velodromes. At press time no release date had been announced.