Simulating Human Reaching for Vehicle Design: A Study in Ride Motion Effects on Seated In-Vehicle Reach Performance

Principal Investigator
Bernard J. Martin (U. of Michigan)

Industry
Lenora Hardee (International Truck & Engine Corp.)
R. Wade Allen (Systems Technology, Inc.)

Government
Harry Zywiol, Victor Paul (RDECOM - TARDEC - National Automotive Center)

Student
Heon-Jeong Kim (U. of Michigan)

The study is a continuation of ongoing research investigating the effects of a dynamic ride environment on the performance of seated in-vehicle reaching tasks. Occupants of off-road vehicles, common in military applications, are regularly exposed to whole-body vibration (WBV) that impairs their ability to quickly and accurately perform in-vehicle tasks while the vehicle is in motion. This research will characterize and quantify the nature of this performance degradation, while aiding the development of dynamic models as well as design standards and strategies for reducing WBV-related errors in performance. Our research will enable these errors to be mitigated through improved design of controls, displays, vehicle suspension, and seating systems.

The U.S. Army is immersed in the design and evaluation of vehicle workstations with respect to their Future Combat Systems (FCS) and the results from this study will provide essential information about the extent to which terrain-induced ride motion adversely affects vehicle occupants’ ability to quickly and accurately complete reaching tasks. The simulation models based on this research will enable the U.S. Army and commercial vehicle industries, to evaluate current and future vehicle designs of controls and displays, as well as seating and suspensions systems. This knowledge will enable designers to test and evaluate designs that mitigate effects of vibration before spending limited capital towards the completed vehicle design.

Publications

Rider K, Martin B (2005) Feedback control of in-vehicle pointing tasks perturbed by ride motion. 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC

Rider K, Martin B (2005) Superposition of optimal submovements in feedback-controlled reaching. XXth Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics, Cleveland, OH.

Rider K, Martin B (2005) Effects of ride motion on the speed and accuracy of in-vehicle pointing tasks. 49th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Orlando, FL.

McDowell K, Rider K, Truong N, Paul V (2005) Effects of Ride Motion on Reaction Times for Reaching Tasks. Military Vehicle Technology (SP-1962) SAE International, Warrendale, PA.