SHOULDER BLADE POSITION ESTIMATION APPARATUS AND SEAT

A shoulder blade position estimation apparatus for a vehicle is provided in a seat on which an occupant operating a steering wheel of the vehicle is seated, and configured to estimate positions of shoulder blades of the occupant. The shoulder blade position estimation apparatus includes a surface pressure sensor and a shoulder blade position estimation unit. The seat includes a seat surface member on which thighs and a waist of the occupant are placed, and a seat back disposed in rear of an upper body of the occupant. The surface pressure sensor detects a distribution of surface pressures that the seat back receives from the upper body of the occupant. When the occupant turns the steering wheel by a predetermined angle, the shoulder blade position estimation unit estimates that the shoulder blades are present near a region where the surface pressures on left and right sides change in opposite directions.