Matthew P. Reed, Ph.D.

I'm a Research Associate Professor in the Biosciences Division of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. I conduct research in a variety of areas relating to anthropometry and biomechanics, including vehicle ergonomics and vehicle occupant crash protection. I'm also a Research Associate Professor in the Center for Ergonomics in Industrial and Operations Engineering, where I am Director of the Human Motion Simulation Laboratory. The HUMOSIM Lab develops movement simulation algorithms and ergonomics analysis tools for use with commercial human modeling software.

Follow the links at the right for more information about my research and see these highlights of recent projects.

Update: 2008-01

The performance of belt-positioning booster seats used by children who are too small to achieve good belt fit with vehicle belts alone, and no longer riding in harness restraints, is assessed in U.S. regulatory tests using Hybrid-III dummies. Unfortunately, these dummies interact with belt restraints in unrealistic ways. The lap, shoulder, and chest areas where the belt contacts the dummy are of particular concern, because the dummy geometry in these areas is substantial different from the skeletal anatomy of similar-size children. We are working on developing improved components for the dummies, starting with the Hybrid-III six-year-old. We have developed new methods for extracting and analyzing the shapes of anatomical structures from medical imaging data. We've used these methods to create a statistical model of the child pelvis, thorax, and shoulder based on data from over 80 children from ages 4 to 12. The analysis allows us to create skeletal models for children in that age range as a function of age, stature, body weight, or other variables. We've used these model to create a geometric target for the 6YO pelvis and thorax. This figure compares the skeletal gometry of the Hybrid-III 6YO to the targets.

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Vita

Education

Ph.D., Industrial and Operations Engineering
The University of Michigan, 1998

M.S.E., Industrial and Operations Engineering
The University of Michigan, 1993

B.S.E., Mechanical Engineering
The University of Michigan, 1989

Research Areas

Driver ergonomics | Impact biomechanics and human tolerance | Motor vehicle occupant protection | Engineering anthropometry | Digital human modeling | Industrial ergonomics | Office ergonomics | Design of seats, chairs, and vehicle interiors

Professional Associations

Society of Automotive Engineers
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
American Society of Mechanical Engineers

Awards

Arch T. Colwell Award for Outstanding Technical Merit
Society of Automotive Engineers, 2003

Ralph H. Isbrandt Auto Safety Engineering Award
Society of Automotive Engineers, 1994, 2004

Lloyd L. Withrow Distinguished Speaker Award
Society of Automotive Engineers, 1997, 2004, 2007

Myers Award for Outstanding Student Paper
Society of Automotive Engineers, 1999

SAE Award for Excellence in Oral Presentation
Society of Automotive Engineers, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2003 (x2)

SAE Engineering Meetings Board Outstanding Oral Presentation Award
Society of Automotive Engineers, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005 (x3), 2006