An adaptive cushion apparatus comprising an overlay cushion for placement on a bed mattress or chair. The overlay cushion includes a matrix of individually pressurizable air bladder cells and an array of surface force sensors which includes an individual force sensor vertically aligned with each air bladder cell. An electronic control system is provided for receiving force sensor signals from the surface force sensors and dynamically varying inflation pressures applied to individual ones of the air bladder cells to inflate or deflate the individual air bladder cells to pressures calculated by an algorithm, the algorithm being adapted to reduce force concentrations on parts of a body supported on the overlay cushion. The surface force sensors are stretchable and have asymmetric diode-like current-versus voltage transfer functions.
