I'm very proud of the research program that we're leading for the U.S. Army that is creating a modern suite of tools for human-centered design of vehicle interiors. Now in its 10th year, this program has been funded by the Army's Ground Vehicle Systems Center (formerly TARDEC). Through the program, we have measured posture and position of over 1000 people, including over 750 soldiers, in a wide range of vehicle seating conditions. Using statistical models we created from the data, our collaborators in the Army have developed a suite of CAD tools that enable vehicle designers to readily account for the distribution of body size in the Army, taking into account the effects of body armor and body borne gear. This is a radically new paradigm for military vehicles, which have typically been developed using the 1950s-style guidance in MIL-STD 1472. With this program, U.S. military vehicles now have a more advanced suite of human-centered design tools than any other vehicle category, including road, agriculture, and construction vehicles. This new approach offers considerable potential for these other domains as well.
As the design tools pass the Army's verification and validation process, they are published online for all to use. See examples: Soldier Accommodation Models
