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The automotive seating industry has established static pressure distribution criteria against which to evaluate seats. The technologies used for this purpose have, in most instances, been obtained and integrated without extensive consideration of the procedural aspects associated with the specific application. This makes it difficult to reduce the established criteria into seat design recommendations. This may, in part, explain the difficulty researchers are having demonstrating the link between static pressure distribution and subjective perceptions of comfort (i.e. establishing validity). This study, based on six separate investigations, provides specific recommendations concerning [1] system set-up, [2] subject selection, and [3] protocol execution (e.g. in-lab vs. in-vehicle).

This paper reports the results of a study comparing the subjective assessment of short and long duration sitting comfort associated with an 80 mile highway drive. Thirty-six subjects evaluated five cars selected from the small car market segment. Subjects completed a comfort assessment questionnaire and were pressure mapped before and after the ride and drive. Subjective evaluation of several seat zones were analyzed and compared to pressure readings. The results for four zones including shoulder, lumbar, ischial tuberosity, and thigh areas are discussed.

Digital human models have greatly enhanced design for the automotive driving environment. The major advantage of the models today is their ability to quickly test a broad range of the population within specific design parameters. The need to create expensive prototypes and run time consuming clinics can be significantly reduced. However, while the anthropometric databases within these models are comprehensive, the ability to position the manikins in a driving posture is limited. This study collected driving postures for occupants in two vehicle packages, a passenger car and utility-type vehicle. In all instances the occupant was instructed to adjust the vehicle parameters so they were in their most comfortable position. The posture of the occupants was then compared to postural output from RAMSIS and Catia V5 HumanBuilder.