We are researching… how we will be sitting in the automated vehicles of the future?

Autonomous driving is causing a major stir in the automotive industry – and we at Human Solutions are asking ourselves what will the driver actually do if the vehicle is driving itself? How will changes in driver activity affect vehicle interiors, safety and comfort?

Our research project INSAA (Occupant Simulation in Automated Automobiles) was launched on July 1, 2018 with the aim of further developing the RAMSIS digital human model to meet the requirements of automated driving for motorists. “In the vehicle industry, the classic driver’s seat is currently being optimized for the ergonomic performance of the driving task, primarily with the aid of digital manikins,” says Project Coordinator Dr. Hans-Joachim Wirsching of Human Solutions. “Automated driving means that the driver can turn his attention to other activities.This will also change the vehicle interior – and these changes will also have to address ergonomic issues.”

The functions and capabilities of existing digital manikins must be expanded to answer questions like these and Human Solutions GmbH, Simi Reality Motion Systems GmbH and the Chair of Ergonomics at the Technical University of Munich are researching this together. The joint project will run for 3 years. INSAA is funded by the SME innovativ (ICT) funding measure of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).

RAMSIS, the digital manikin by Human Solutions, has been used for the ergonomic design of vehicle interiors for the past 30 years – and it has so far been geared towards the primary driving task in conventional vehicle concepts, with the main focus on comfort issues, followed by safety aspects like belt routing and visual field analyses. The INSAA project is aimed at expanding the capabilities of RAMSIS. In the future, the postures and movements of RAMSIS will also include activities outside the vehicle, such working with a tablet. To achieve this, project partner Simi Reality Motion Systems will be carrying out tests during which real occupant behavior is recorded with several cameras and measured in a contact-free procedure. The results will then be transferred to RAMSIS.