KomfortZone03 The Magazine for ergonomics in the automotive industry | Driver assistance — Man and machine in harmony | Overweight — New demands on ergonomics | Competence — Human Solutions Consulting helps to solve market challenges | Best performance — 3D on the move | New posture — RAMSIS leaves the beaten track at KTM
Size NorthAmerica Successful start for the world’s largest serial measurement survey Page 34
It’s time for ergonomics.
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The new job sharing in the car
Autonomous driving changes classic ergonomics. We’re seeing the start of an exciting process. Even if (real) driverless driving by computer still lies far in the future, we’re already on the way there – and there’s no going back! KomfortZone 03 tackles the new challenges facing ergonomics that arise when there are two drivers in the car – the man and the machine.
If the autopilot and the driver are traveling together, ergonomics soon reaches its limits. The key point for successful car driving automation is communication between man and machine. The key questions are: How do you define the interface between man and machine? How does a machine ‘drive’ in comparison to a human being? Which movements does the driver make and which postures does he or she adopt in the automated car? What new concepts are made possible? To expand the current limits of vehicle ergonomics, we are developing the new skills and capabilities step-by-step in specialist discussions and research projects. We use digital simulation to transfer the newly-won insights into interior design and test them. One of the key challenges is getting the driver back in the automated vehicle. Of course, this will be a matter in a few years with the right cognitive
approaches and tools. We must begin this process today. Even RAMSIS will have to ‘learn’ more and change. RAMSIS NextGen has already taken more than one step in this direction. Open interfaces for field data, VR and motion-tracking systems ensure that RAMSIS can learn more easily – real 3D body data refines the simulation of the human being for individual, target group-oriented or global vehicle concepts. Practical examples in this issue show how RAMSIS masters new tasks: posture models for the motion-intensive motorcycle sector are just as much a part of this as the testing of innovative display concepts in autonomous driving in agriculture; and of course, there is no better country to focus on in this issue than the USA, the land of the unlimited ‘ergonomic’ opportunities and the home of autonomous driving. I hope you enjoy reading this magazine, the 3rd issue of KomfortZone. Dr. Andreas Seidl CEO Human Solutions GmbH
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USA – your car drivers. Interesting facts about cars, the market and drivers. 6 Throwing a switch in your head. Ergonomics for man and machine in road traffic. Prof. Dr. Klaus Bengler talks about the interaction between man and machine and the success of automation.
Ergonomics XXXL. Daimler simulates overweight with obesity suits and builds driver cabins that can also be operated comfortably by XXXL-sized truckers.
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Competence in focus. Increasing customer demands are creating challenges for ergonomics teams – and Human Solutions is helping to master them. 16
Body scanning leading the way. When garments are simulated in motion, new optimal performances are possible.
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Tools and clothing in digital applications. RAMSIS Defense simulates the effect of equipment in the vehicle.
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Bits & Bikes. KTM creates new perspectives in development with RAMSIS.
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Deep Orange & RAMSIS. Students at the Clemson University are developing vehicles from the first sketch to the finished product – with RAMSIS. 28 New from RAMSIS. The simulation of child seats offers exciting options for the optimization of belt concepts. RAMSIS is also breaking new ground in the digital analysis of visual standards.
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Now it’s time to start measuring! Size NorthAmerica has kicked off successfully. 34 Driving with a turban. Surprising findings in the ergonomic analysis of headgear.
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That was the RUC 2016. The RAMSIS User Conference in cooperation with KTM.
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Size NorthAmerica Launch of the world’s largest serial measurement survey Page 34
And finally
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Trend 6
USA – your car drivers
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Tempo. The first ticket for excessively fast driving was issued in the USA in 1904. The recorded speed was 12 mph! The highest speed so far was recorded in Texas in May of 2003 – 242 mph in a 75-mph zone! ‘o-to’ instead of car. When it comes to classic sedans, Japanese cars are at the forefront in the USA; the Toyota Camry was the top seller in 2015, followed by Honda Accord and Honda CRV. The top-selling vehicles, however, are the US Ford and Chevrolet pickups. Freight roads or beautiful roads? 3.5 million professional truck drivers in the United States drive more than 400 billion miles every year to move 10 billion tons of freight (2/3 of the total volume in the United States). Safety first. US insurer, ‘The Hartford’ found out that 76 % of US drivers aged 50 and older put car safety first when buying a car. Surprisingly, US statistics tell us that only every other American has a car; in Germany, the number of cars per head is much higher. The United States occupies 24th place worldwide, Germany is in 7th place and Monaco tops the list in 1st place.
Driverless is catching on. Only one of four US drivers aged 50 and older rejects autonomous driving concepts. 35 % would try it, but 42 % feel they need more information. Carefree driving – but with conditions attached. If you want to transport an item from A to B in Kuwait, it will only take you around 15 minutes, but in Kenya, you’ll need an hour more for the same distance. The USA and Germany are on the same level at 36 minutes. Letting off steam. On average, a driver in America curses 32,000 times in his or her life while driving. What about Germans? Mobile lyrics. Of all the products you can think of, automobiles are mentioned most frequently in song texts. Mercedes heads the list. Rap songs mention Maybach most frequently, followed by Lexus, Aston Martin, Bentley and (again) Mercedes. Red is in. The most common car colors in the USA are white and silver, but if colors are wanted, most Americans opt for red. Sources: http://nytrafficticket.com, www.consoleandhollawell.com/law-blog, www.bild.de, www.alltrucking.com, www.usatoday.com, www.nationmaster.com/country-info, https://hyphyhiphop.wordpress.com, http://concavebt.com/top-brands-2014-music-lyrics/, http://www.welt.de
Trend
Throwing a switch in your head Driving is getting easier – but not in every aspect. Professor Dr. Klaus Bengler of the Munich Technical University carries out research projects in the field of driver assistance systems and their effects on ergonomics in the vehicle. Pure vehicle operation used to be the most important focal point, but now communication, perception and behavioral interpretation are playing an increasingly crucial role. The extent to which man/machine interaction succeeds will ultimately be decided by the degree of automation.
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Professor Dr. Klaus Bengler is Head of the Department of Ergonomics at the Technical University of Munich. He performs research in the fields of digital human modeling, system ergonomics and human reliability.
KomfortZone: Professor Bengler, a German law has meanwhile been drafted to ensure safety in automated driving. Have we really come that far? Bengler: We have indeed come far, but not in every aspect and a closer look at the definition of the term automated driving shows us why. Driver assistance systems support the driver with his ‘driving task’ and even take over some parts of this task completely, ranging from cruise control and tracking assistance to automated parking and automatic driving on short sections of a journey. That’s still not autonomous driving, but in many cases it’s semi-automated driving. Highly-automated driving is still a long way off. Not because it wouldn’t be technically feasible, but because entirely new problems with the manmachine interaction are created, such as getting the driver back into immediate action when an unexpected obstacle crops up. We must perform studies in the cognitive field to bring us new insights in this respect. In terms of ergonomics – and this also applies to the automated vehicle – the driver will still adopt the classic driving posture, with both hands on the wheel and feet ready on the pedals. In my opinion, the driver is and will remain responsible for the vehicle for many years. KomfortZone: The media reports on driving are coming thick and fast. Where does the sudden technical breakthrough lie? Bengler: The technologies have been developed to such an extent that affordable series models are now possible. This is why everyone is suddenly talking about automated or autonomous driving. Sensor technology, for example, is much less expensive today than it was a few years ago. Computing power is constantly increasing and the price is going down at the same time. Vehicle development is being strongly driven by the technical and economical possibilities; and the Internet companies also contribute to the media tide with their vehicle projects of course, but the technologies have actually been around for a long time. The research project ‘Prometheus’ tackled the topic of safety through driver assistance in the 1980s and 1990s and there were many national German promotion projects after that as well. Many of today’s assistance technologies are based on all these projects. Prometheus was a tremendously
innovative technical project at that time. Today we need more studies at the social, legal, psychological and of course ergonomic levels to really take all the aspects into consideration. The research project UR:BAN has tackled parts of this for driver assistance in city traffic and also created important foundations for automated systems. KomfortZone: What will the task of the driver be in the near future? Bengler: The task of the driver will remain more or less the same in the next few years and that is to drive and monitor the vehicle. However, driving will be made much easier by technically sophisticated systems, but new monitoring tasks will also be created. In the near future, driving will be more stressfree and above all safer, but even if technology does take over certain tasks, the main responsibility will still remain with the vehicle driver. So in order to take another step in the direction of highly-automated driving, we must promote the integration of the new systems and make them very reliable and as user-friendly as possible. The driver must be able to instantly understand, operate and interpret his assistance systems or they simply won’t fulfill their function which is to make driving easier. KomfortZone: There are very few negative sides to the topic in public discussions. Does the machine drive much better than the human being? Bengler: The opinions of the professional world are divided on that one. There’s probably not a 100 % correct answer to that question. In many situations the computer can actually react better than the human being with ABS or emergency braking systems, for instance. But sensors and computers can’t assess complex traffic situations to the same extent as the human driver who can instantly draw on his experience. As soon as we leave the world of routine procedures and have to make alternative decisions which are partly subjective in dangerous situations, the computer is overwhelmed. The human being can weigh things up quickly and can decide on the lesser of two evils in seconds. Computer systems can provide support at best here and initiate certain maneuvers. In contrast, technology recognizes standardized potential hazards very much sooner and
more reliably than the human being does. Perhaps this conflict situation will create new solutions where man and machine cooperate and concepts will arise that may actually benefit the development of autonomous vehicles without drivers. KomfortZone: Which tasks will vehicle ergonomics have to face when two ‘drivers’ are in the car, man and machine?
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Bengler: The amount of ergonomic effort involved in safeguarding and evaluation is increasing. For example, how long does it take to return the hands to the steering wheel when the highly-automated vehicle’s alarm sounds? This is a study that ergonomics in vehicle development has not yet performed as a standard, but questions like this are now becoming increasingly important. The readability of displays is also entering a new dimension. The systems are faced with an increasing density of information and with older drivers, so it’s not enough to simply enlarge the display fonts. We must find new concepts for information transfer. And the safety and comfort issues will become more diverse when we subdivide them into ‘actively driving’, ‘being driven’ and ‘preoccupation with other things.’ Even with the increased number of operating elements, they must all remain understandable. The dashboard will be arranged differently than what we are accustomed to. We also need to rethink the classic posture analysis. The driver interacts more with the vehicle and he also moves a lot more. The static posture analysis will gradually be transformed into a motion analysis – and we also must adopt a completely new approach to behavior and perception. The good news is that all this effort will be worthwhile: Today more than ever before, we can see that careful ergonomic vehicle development pays off in terms of safety and comfort.
KomfortZone: What lessons can we learn from our experience to date with (partially) automated vehicles? Bengler: In the future, we’ll have to become much more flexible and more responsive to technology in the vehicle. Fast brain reactions won’t only take place while driving in your own car, they’ll also be needed when you change vehicles and when you’re in road traffic as a pedestrian or cyclist. An old vehicle and a new vehicle may behave quite differently when approaching a cross-walk. Or imagine you have two vehicles with different technical standards in one household. You may also wish to change to a rental car or a car-sharing vehicle that can do much more or much less than your usual vehicle. If we’re honest, the change from the operating concept of one car brand to another is a challenge that we don’t really like to face at the moment. KomfortZone: Will drivers who change vehicles, have to go through a checklist like pilots do, just to make sure that there is a parking assistant in the new vehicle, for example? Bengler: There are a number of research projects which are tackling the topic of human beings in traffic on a new interdisciplinary level. Like the project UR:BAN, for example, which studies the operation and the effect of assistance systems, as well as the interaction of new, partially-automated vehicles with models on the street that aren’t as well equipped. As soon as we see that the machine is doing its job well, we tend to let our attention wander. That must not happen. Given the current state of development, we must see driver assistance systems for what they are – a way to lighten the load on drivers. When parking, we should still turn around and look behind, in spite of the expected ‘alert sound.’ I’ve noticed that some users expect too much from the assistance systems. However, a checklist probably won’t happen. Communication, education and solid operating and display concepts are the most important issues. KomfortZone: Professor Bengler, thank you for the interview.
New tasks for ergonomics
> Communication > Perception > Behavioral interpretation
© all images Daimler
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Daimler Obesity Suits instantly transform a ‘normal body’ into an overweight one. Many Daimler managers are test-driving trucks with these suits on to make themselves more aware of what the more corpulent drivers require. The suits were co-designed by a makeup artist of the Bavaria Film Studios in Munich to imitate reality.
Ergonomics XXXL
Overweight drivers often find it difficult to move around in their cabs. Daimler aims to remedy this situation. ‘Obesity Suits’ help engineers to think and act like corpulent truck drivers, enabling them to design cabins for strongly-built drivers more efficiently.
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Daimler takes the initiative Thanks to the new experiences and the collected data, Daimler can now give its driver cabs the best possible design. The new Actros models, for example, have a longer and wider bed, improved air conditioning and more efficient sound insulation. Ideas like integrated sports items in the driver’s cab are also being discussed. Increased driving comfort is important for an industry that’s hardly attractive for young employees. The effects are immediately felt on the road and in the transport company, because relaxed drivers drive more attentively, reducing the accident rate and saving fuel. This also applies to overweight drivers. In the US, almost every truck driver is clearly overweight or even obese. An above-average number of truck drivers in Germany are also overweight. Even tying shoelaces becomes a problem – so what’s the situation like in everyday life in drivers’ cabs where truck drivers have to work and sleep for many days? Daimler engineers are investigating this in a large-scale initiative: and the newly developed Obesity Suits are helping them to find out how the physical limitations caused by being overweight affect driving behavior and they create cab adaptations that could improve the working lives of corpulent truck drivers. When you’re wearing an Obesity Suit, you quickly notice how things change: Your entire movement behavior is different and considerably restricted. Normal activities are more strenuous, you sweat more and get out of breath faster. The difficulties start when you try to climb up into the cab – you need to exert yourself a lot more than a ‘normal-bodied’ driver does. The space requirement between your seat and the steering wheel is significantly increased. And many adaptations are also recommended for sleeping in the cab bed. The Daimler engineers’ practical experience is digitally transferred to vehicle development using RAMSIS. Daimler already has several XXL manikins based on an individual study by its US subsidiary Freightliner.
In practice
Competence in focus
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Ergonomics is a key selling factor. Product ergonomics are being pushed to the fore by increasing customer demands. At the same time, demographic change and globalization make ergonomic product design increasingly complex. This is why many companies that want fast access to competence in the fields of anthropometry, ergonomics and the various simulation systems work closely with Human Solutions’ experts.
Human Solutions Consulting provides support for development departments in the performance of new studies, in internal competence building and in the implementation of complex development projects. Anton Preiss and his team are at the forefront when it comes to strategic product planning, from product predevelopment and conceptual design to the ergonomic safeguarding of the serial design.
It’s important to know, however, that the industry’s requirements for studies and investigations has not been physically covered for a long time now. Digital simulation creates advantages in development – and it’s only with digital simulation that necessary changes can be identified on the computer model and can flow into the development process at an early stage, avoiding late – and expensive corrections.
“25 years of experience in anthropometry, simulation and ergonomics at leading companies flow into our projects.�
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Ergonomic studies: The ergonomic and legal safeguarding of belt retaining systems, the ergonomic design of vehicle access, the ergonomic optimization of construction machine cabins, the anthropometric analysis of customer markets, the anthropometric design of the protection area of an elevator, and the design of aircraft cockpits for pilot populations.
Project work at/for customers: Real safeguarding, support for eBTD certification, management of proportional surfaces, RAMSIS positioning and adjustment fields, ergonomic design, CAD model creation, design/positioning of armrests, comparisons of vehicles with regard to vision and space requirements.
Consulting on ergonomic processes:
Š all images Deep Orange
Establishment of an ergonomic team and support for the implementation of ergonomic processes; the ergonomic and legal safeguarding of belt retaining systems, the ergonomic design of vehicle access, the ergonomic optimization of construction machine cabins, the anthropometric analysis of customer markets, the anthropometric design of the protection area of an elevator, the design of aircraft cockpits for pilot populations, and the development of company-specific ergonomic guidelines for space requirements.
“We have been working closely with the ergonomics departments of leading companies for many years now,” explains Dr. Andreas Seidl, CEO of Human Solutions. “We offer the largest anthropometric database in the world and we lead the way in the digital simulation of ergonomics – and we pass on this comprehensive knowledge to our consulting customers.”
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Cooperation with Human Solutions pays off in many ways. Employees with the relevant experience in ergonomic simulations are hard to find. New studies or special product developments require competence fast at peak times. This is not only the case in companies with long innovation cycles, because large companies which have several vehicle types and models and which have their own ergonomic departments, can also beat bottlenecks by passing on specific ergonomic studies to the Human Solutions Consulting Team. Even if extensive resources are at hand, the team is available as a sparring partner for all tasks in ergonomics.
“If you ask me which ergonomic project is the most important, I’ll only have one answer for you: it’s the project that benefits your customers most“, explains Anton Preiss. “This can drive a huge increase in a company’s functionality, reduce costs because the company can develop more efficiently and faster and improve its safety – so ergonomics ensures the future of your products in the market.” The team brings a very high level of competence to every project. Our employees in the field of consulting are extremely familiar with all the commercially available ergonomics tools. They have all been involved in strategic customer projects and can draw upon a comprehensive ergonomic portfolio of methods for theory and practice. Overall, the Consulting Team has more than 25 years of experience in ergonomics and it continues to develop this discipline as a worldwide leader in the field.
When does ergonomics with Human Solutions actually pay? Use the knowledge gained in ergonomics as a competitive advantage or as a special product feature Effectively augment your team for ergonomic studies/investigations or have our competent staff take over your projects (also on site) Enhance your quality through the development, study and testing of new procedures and ergonomic methods, including personnel training and project transfer
“The company that focuses on ergonomics will secure the future of its products on the market.�
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Human Solutions Consulting: Full services for technical ergonomics in product development, ranging from consulting and competence building to optimal product range and support.
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“We now have a manikin of Alex Dowsett – and we can use it for six hours in the wind tunnel. It’s always available, never gets tired and doesn’t change its posture on the bicycle. These are great advantages compared to tests with ‘real’ drivers. This greatly accelerates our product development process. Within the next 6–12 months, the development of our new jerseys will get much faster.” Jim McFarlane, CEO, Endura.
Body scanning leading the way Bike races are often won or lost in the time trials. A tenth of a second can mean the difference between victory and second place, so optimizing riders’ garments is one of the most important objectives. Today you need more than exact measurements. Only the exact capturing of body dimensions in motion brings a decisive advantage in the sport … but it also creates amazing advantages for the mass market. This is especially true when two top professionals are digitized in action by Human Solutions body scanners with the ultimate aim of producing perfect customized apparel.
Manikins for the wind tunnel Nairo Quintana and Alex Dowsett are famous racing cyclists in the Movistar team. Both professionals were scanned by Human Solutions during time trials on their bikes for garment manufacturer Endura – and then ‘reproduced’ as virtual 3D manikins for tests in the wind tunnel. The results of these tests are used intensively. The newly-acquired body dimensions are used to create customized clothing with optimal aerodynamic qualities for Nairo and Alex during their time trials.
Reliable scan quality The drivers are first scanned in standing posture and then on their bikes. The many individual scans in the given scanning position round off the scans on the bike, particularly with data on the torso, arms and legs. All the ‘shadows’ on the ‘bicycle scans’ can now be filled out by the many previously-captured individual scans. This enables the experts to create high-quality scans without the need to keep an upright standing position in the scanner – because unlike the standard position, the scans in action on the bike also map the flexion of the back and the contraction and expansion of the shoulders. And that’s exactly what Endura and Human Solutions want.
Clothing of 3D manikins in action Now it’s time for the development of the apparel. The exact acquisition of the measurements using measuring points on the scan of each rider provides important information for the development of the jerseys. And it’s not only the simple measurements that are addressed, the body
circumference during the relevant movements is also considered. Visualization in 3D also enables the assessment of body proportions, such as the ratio of the legs to the back. These findings are quickly verified, then they flow directly into the styles and cuts of the new jerseys. If anything is unclear, the clothing specialists can examine the various scans – and that’s a big advantage compared to physical measurement. During a virtual fitting session in the 2D/3D cut mapping software, the manikins ‘try-on’ the garment which is then further optimized, if required. If the garment is too loose or too wide, this can be seen immediately in the movement posture. The garment is then altered to fit perfectly, creating the ideal jerseys for racing cyclists. Manikins never get tired and are always available, so long and intensive tests can be carried out in the wind tunnel. The test results are reproducible and consistent. Endura can also derive generally-valid cut rules from the acquired information and use these rules for the general market.
Professional results for the general market The collaboration is rewarding for Team Movistar and garment manufacturer Endura alike: Quintana has recorded many successes in the Endura jersey, and Alex Dowsett’s successful world hour record was set after the company created 57 wind tunneltested prototype racing cyclist suits for him. What’s good for professionals is also good for amateurs and Endura’s aerodynamic WT Aerosuits and Speedsuits and its WT Classics series will soon be available in sports shops.
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Equipment and clothing in digital use How much vision does a wearer lose through protective helmets? Can soldiers get into a tank wearing a backpack? How much freedom of movement does a police or fire department task force carrying full equipment actually need? In the security and protection sectors, it’s not only people that have to get into vehicles, a lot of equipment has to be put into them as well. That’s no problem for RAMSIS Defense, because it allows driver and passengers to be equipped as required, answering all ergonomics questions digitally – even if the crew are equipped with full gear. With RAMSIS Defense, you’re well-equipped digitally: The new RAMSIS software models the influence of clothing and task force tools on mobility and posture forecasts, taking this into account in the ergonomics analyses performed with RAMSIS. To achieve this, RAMSIS Defense has a library of interactive equipment and the data and photographs of items of equipment are made individually available before the first digital deployment. They are then further developed by Human Solutions into a customer-specific, digital 3D library. You can integrate and manage the new equipment module in RAMSIS NextGen, RAMSIS in
Catia V5 and RAMSIS in NX. You then continue working in the simulation as you normally would: the items of equipment can be attached during runtime, so the effect the objector garment has on the mobility, posture or body shape of the model is depicted in real time. Dependencies between the objects themselves and between objects and the manikin are also considered. Once integrated, RAMSIS Defense also provides internal tools, e.g. for graphically interactive editing and for reading in object geometry. The posture model and body shape can be interactively processed during the course of a session.
Linking RAMSIS to clothing and items of equipment
An overview of RAMSIS Defense All the ergonomic analyses, vision, reachability, posture and force Garment size adjusts to the anthropometry of the manikin The best-fitting size is selected for fixed size steps Clothing adapts to posture changes Display of movement restriction (e.g. the spinal column with protective vest) Know-how is quickly available in the system
Innovation
Bits & Bikes If you want to see ergonomics in perfection, making your way to Austria is worthwhile. The riding experience sets the tone at KTM, the Mattighofen motorcycle manufacturer. And it’s no wonder either, because at KTM everyone rides a motorbike. Software is also digitally mounting KTM bikes. Since the company introduced RAMSIS, the honing of the riding experience begins before the first product sketch is born. KTM builds premium motorcycles for demanding riders. The product developers of this wellknown motorcycle manufacturer have been translating the company motto ‘Ready to Race’ into all driving styles – from motocross to active riding in road traffic – with great success for many years now. One of the keys to this success is ergonomics. In the past, KTM only used ergonomics for complex tests on prototypes and during test drives, but today ergonomics starts with RAMSIS even before the first design sketch sees the light of day.
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Leading scientific and practical ergonomics experts met for the RAMSIS User Conference at KTM in 2016. As always, the exchange of knowledge and experience took pride of place. But the practical side wasn’t neglected because, after an impressive factory inspection, it was time for all the conference participants to ‘get on their bikes.’ Human Solutions would like to thank KTM and all the participants for two incomparable days that were exciting in every way.
Host of the RUC 2016
Innovation
Ergonomics even before the first product sketch KTM is taking a less-traveled route in the world of motorcycles. While digital ergonomic simulation is widespread in automotive development, it’s still rarely used in the motorcycle sector. In contrast to automobile driving, the motorbike rider can adopt different postures and there is no firmly-defined interior space for design. Thanks to RAMSIS, KTM can very clearly define this ‘interior space’. That’s one of the advantages of ergonomic simulation. “Today, we digitally define a basic ergonomic framework and specify design spaces in which our designers and developers can move freely. This digitization and the ergonomic testing of design ideas at the very beginning of the development gives us time to experiment. We can develop our work much better and think more boldly. Entirely new solutions are sometimes created, but at other times we can also see that our older concept was better.” Frederik Harnischmacher, Development, KTM
Ergonomics simulation really speeds up development, but for KTM, it’s the gain in quality that counts. Thanks to the early definition of ergonomic space, the development team can create more flexibility and scope for design innovations. That’s why the success of the ergonomic software is measured in new design concepts in Mattighofen – within the high ergonomic standard. RAMSIS gives you time that you never had before. “We now go much deeper and proceed much more accurately, e.g. in the analysis of different riding situations. It makes a big difference whether I’m riding on the 300 EXC Enduro or relaxing with the 1090 Adventurer on a ride through the mountains.” Gerald Matschl, KTM
Classic ergonomic simulation at KTM KTM now uses RAMSIS to carry out all its ergonomic tasks iteratively on CAD models, which take on more and more shape until the final prototype is born. Seat position, vision and freedom of movement/collision are examined for all of the relevant
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“In motorcycle riding, the rider and the machine are so closely in touch with one another that ergonomics is a key factor for an optimal riding experience, on which we place enormous Value, as do our customers, “ Gerald Matschl, Head of the Sub-Division Street, KTM
percentiles at the KTM manikin pool. Animations are also used in RAMSIS to test the freedom of movement and/or the collision of body parts with the motorcycle. Joint chains are used to identify intermediate postures that could be a hindrance for footrests, steering, hanging-off or in mounting and dismounting. Compliance with vision standards can be easily determined with RAMSIS, as can adherence to KTM’s internal expectations of visual quality. But the determination of classic vehicle ergonomics isn’t all that RAMSIS can do.
RAMSIS in the virtual wind tunnel Aerodynamics are also crucial for that KTM riding experience. Since the rider is directly exposed to the wind, he influences aerodynamic properties, and he’s also vulnerable to strong wind currents. That’s why an entire virtual motorcycle including rider is tested in the virtual wind tunnel, and not just the CAD model. The KTM team can immediately see how the air flows around the rider and the effect helmet and windshield have on the riding experience.
Comprehensive test phase prior to the introduction KTM checked RAMSIS for reliability in the motorcycle world before changing over to digital simulation. RAMSIS and the KTM field tests were used on two bike models – and the results were identical. This gave the all-important nod to Human Solutions’ leading ergonomic software. Another important point for KTM is the posture model – and a new one that’s suitable for motorcycles is being developed at KTM. The various postures – seated upright, seated flat, standing and hanging-off – are solved by positioning the manikin on the model. When the posture has been adopted, the ergonomics software by Human Solutions stores the positioning, so it can be retrieved at any time. Once the decision has been taken, the introduction is launched in just a few weeks. Today, all new and further developments at KTM are first checked with RAMSIS – and the first physical prototype is only built when the product has attained a very high level of maturity. Technical innovation and tried and tested working methods go hand-in-hand at KTM.
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Focus
Professor Johnell Brooks is Associate Professor in the Department of Automotive Engineering at Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research. Yang Yang is a Graduate Student at Clemson University and Interior Team Lead for Deep Orange 7.
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Deep Orange & RAMSIS
The Deep Orange initiative by Clemson University is extraordinary. It gives students the opportunity to create a prototype vehicle in two years and is the only program of its kind where students begin with nothing more than ideas and finish with a vehicle. Ergonomic comfort and safety is tested with RAMSIS in Catia V5. KomfortZone talks with Professor Johnell Brooks and Graduate Student Yang Yang about the adventure of building a car from scratch.
© all images Deep Orange KomfortZone: How long has Clemson University offered the Deep Orange project?
KomfortZone: Each project is sponsored by a car brand. What is the sponsor’s motivation?
Brooks: We are in our 8th Deep Orange right now. During the last 8 years, every group of automotive engineering graduates has had the opportunity to participate in Deep Orange.
Brooks: The motivation of the sponsor is different for each project. For several companies, Deep Orange has been about the educational experience, for students to really understand vehicle development from start to finish. The project Deep Orange 7 is a research contract with BMW. So, it has a slightly different structure than the projects we have had in the past.
KomfortZone: What are the requirements for students to participate? Brooks: Deep Orange is open to all automotive engineering graduate students. They apply to be on one of five teams: Powertrain, Chassis, Interior, Body-in-White and Project management. Students apply for a Deep Orange position the same way they would apply for a job. They have to answer questions, submit a resume, and we often do an in-person interview as well, to make sure that students really understand what the commitment is and also to evaluate their interest.
KomfortZone: Does the sponsor give any specifications for the project? Brooks: Again, that varies with each project. With our project for Deep Orange 7 we have specifications. BMW gave us a box to play in with clear constraints. In other projects, we’ve had a blank sheet of paper. Deep Orange 5 for example, looked at a city vehicle while Deep Orange 6 was an Urban Utility Vehicle. Sponsors often give us a direction, but then we have a blank slate in terms of what that direction is.
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The ergonomics in Deep Orange
KomfortZone: What is the role of ergonomics and RAMSIS in the project?
KomfortZone: Have there been any smart, innovative solutions for ergonomics?
Yang: I would say ergonomics is about safety and comfort. We’re building a vehicle which has to be safe and comfortable. Basically, I use RAMSIS to do all the ergonomic analyses, the interior packaging and some interior innovation concepts. When the Body-in-White team have their updated designs, I have to check the vision, the discomfort assessment and the reachability of the manikin. Visibility is always a big issue.
Brooks: The Deep Orange 3 vehicle was a good example with the three plus three seating in the hybrid sports car the team developed. That team built a cardboard model so that they could out their design in person. Then they could justify their decisions in RAMSIS, it was a nice combination of the user experience from the model they tried themselves and data that validates the design while fighting for a design direction using RAMSIS at the same time.
Brooks: RAMSIS has really played an important role in the Deep Orange 7 project. Yang has spent a lot of time looking at many different design configurations to see what the vision impact on the drivers will be. So, she used RAMSIS in a different way, first during the vehicle development, but also after the final vehicle was selected. She then looked at several alternatives, for example, if we would go with a different design direction or evaluate a future technology – and clarify the impact which that would have on vision. So that’s been very interesting, because she used RAMSIS in a way we haven’t used it in the past on previous Deep Orange projects. She had the opportunity to dig a lot deeper into vision and looked at some of the capabilities of RAMSIS that we hadn’t used before. KomfortZone: What are the biggest challenges students face with regards to ergonomics in the project? Brooks: I would say the trade-off between the different teams, and especially who owns the space, meaning the battle for space and who is going to win that. I think that one of the nice things about RAMSIS is that we can justify which team really needs the space.
KomfortZone: What do you like about RAMSIS? Brooks: I think RAMSIS gave our team a very clear way to test their concepts. RAMSIS can visualize a lot of things including vision and reachability. We can’t do that in a normal CAD model. It’s a very easy way to visualize the ergonomics for the vehicle. KomfortZone: What functionality would you like to be added to RAMSIS? Yang: If we could add material like seat fabric properties to have a more accurate discomfort assessment, that would be great. Brooks: We have to balance many targets in any given design. There are a lot of standard tests, like obscuration, forward vision or rearward vision. A One-Button-Function in RAMSIS for these standard cases would make it easier for us to realize the concept quickly. And another idea: I do a lot of work with people with disabilities, so I would like to see more on wheelchair users for the entire ingress/egress process. More information: http://cuicardeeporange.com
Focus
New from RAMSIS
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Safely seated
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Complying with the Euro NCAP criteria is an important selling factor – especially when the safety of children is involved. However, child seats in the vehicle put existing belt systems to the test. To avoid unnecessary changes at a late stage, the interplay between the belt system and various child seats can now be digitally checked with RAMSIS. Checks include e.g. the space prognosis for the seat and the suitability of the existing belt system to secure the child seat. Belt routing can also be tested on children in the seats. The RAMSIS child seats module is a customer-specific platform. The child seat library can be expanded to match specific customer requirements for every child seat model – and then integrated into RAMSIS.
The simulation works quite simply … 1. Load the child seat from the library 2. Position the child seat 3. Put the RAMSIS child manikin in the seat 4. Calculate belt routing over the child seat and the child manikin The RAMSIS child seats module was developed in cooperation with Daimler and child seat manufacturer Britax Römer. The Britax Römer child seat library is approved for most German OEMs. RAMSIS also has Q-dummies for 6 and 10-year-old children in the child seat.
New standards – free vision There are now five new visual standards in RAMSIS. The expansion of the digital simulation of compliance with norm criteria is a focal point in the development of RAMSIS. This is why additional visual standards for digital analysis are integrated into RAMSIS in an ongoing procedure. Compliance with key standards can therefore be ensured immediately, even at the digital design stage. This is an important time and quality advantage, especially for visual standards, because the tests carried out during development influence vehicle body design (e.g. the A-pillar) – and consequently the perpetual discussions on vehicle design (designers) and safer vision for drivers (ergonomists). The development department also has an easier task, because the documentation on standard compliance can be acquired from the simulation at the push of a button.
The new visual standards in RAMSIS Forward vision for motor vehicles. General guideline for vision.
§35b StVZO
Rearward vision for cars, trucks and scooters. Rear mirror vision.
ECE R46
Forward vision for passenger cars. Especially important: the evaluation of the A-pillar as a visual obstruction.
ECE R125
ISO 16121 International or Europe-wide vision guideline. Direct vision forward and indirect vision including mirrors and cameras for low-floor buses. EBSF* All-round vision for agricultural tractors. Developed in cooperation with AGCO Fendt *European Bus System for the Future
ISO 5721
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Size NorthAmerica kick-off
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The world’s largest 3D measurement survey has begun! More than 18,000 men, women and children will be scanned and measured. The data will flow into iSize, the world’s largest body measurement database. The advantage here is that the measuring process is done in 3D, resulting in measurements and avatars. The automotive industry gets the data it needs to reach more and more people or special target groups.
Scanning locations in the USA: The two scanning locations selected for the survey kick-off: Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
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More locations are planned: 1_New York, NY 2_Buffalo, NY 3_Pittsburgh, PA 4_Philadelphia, PA 5_Boston, MA 6_Washington, DC 7_Atlanta, GA 8_Miami, FL 9_Oklahoma City, OK 10_Dallas, TX 11_Detroit, MI 12_Chicago, IL 13_Minneapolis, MN 14_St. Louis, MS 15_Lincoln, NE 16_Bismarck, ND 17_Los Angeles, CA 18_San Francisco, CA 19_Seattle, WA 20_Albuquerque, NM 21_Missula, MT 22_Denver, CO 23_Las Vegas, NV
Sponsors from the automotive and fashion industries
Focus
27 companies and universities are participating in Size NorthAmerica. They will receive early, comprehensive data access. Automotive sponsors include BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors and Polaris, fashion industry sponsors are BSN Medical, Alvanon, Hugo Boss, La Vie En Rose, Logistics Unicorp, Target, Ulla Popken and VF: and the universities include Cornell University, Central Michigan University, North Carolina State University and the University of Oregon.
The concept – representative measurement 2 genders: Men/boys and women/girls 9 age groups 6 regions Other segmentation: ethnicity, demographic information, e.g. income, education, etc. Subjects are scanned in different body postures. Every single scan is digitally measured, but every measurement is also checked for its quality.
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More information at:
http://www.sizenorthamerica.com • First representative serial measurement survey • Leading technology for body scanning and evaluation • Interactive data analysis on the iSize portal
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The Scanmobile is currently traveling through the USA. This means that many subjects can be measured fast – both in cities and in more rural areas.
Focus
Driving with a turban
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Anyone wearing a turban can encounter problems when driving because they are much taller than his normal height. But how much taller? And how does this affect vehicle design? Using the example of his home country, an Indian RAMSIS customer demonstrated the ergonomic effects of the various types of turban.
India is a huge country. With 29 states, almost 1.3 billion inhabitants and many different religions, differences are the rule here rather than the exception. This diversity is an exciting challenge for RAMSIS – and the team from Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. took it on. Turbans are part of everyday life in India, especially in the country, but they can impair driving safety and comfort, especially if worn by medium-tall to very tall men. The study first identified eleven different types of turban of various sizes and shapes. These types were digitized and adapted to the head geometry of RAMSIS. On the basis of this data, a physical head was created on which various real turbans were
fitted and scanned. The result was a new turban head library for RAMSIS. Now it was time for the economic analysis. Vehicle design by RAMSIS with turbans delivered some interesting insights and a few surprises, for example, the turban didn’t just create restrictions in height, but in every direction as well! This didn’t only apply to the driver; passengers on the rear seat were also affected and that can be especially relevant in the design of luxury limousines. Not only is the driving position affected, vehicle entry and exit are also compromised. The turban can also interfere with the opening and closing of the trunk.
Opening the trunk: No problem for RAMSIS without headgear …
… but it’s a different story with headgear.
3D data from the current Indian serial measurement survey in RAMSIS. The middle class in India is growing and the demand for motor vehicles is growing along with the rising incomes. This was reason enough to address the ergonomic needs of Indian drivers and passengers in vehicle development, so the results of the current Indian serial measurement ARAI Size India 2008–2010 were integrated into RAMSIS. Using 3D body scanners by Human Solutions, 5,000 men and women in three age groups — 18–29, 30–44 and 45+ were measured in five Indian regions by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). The subjects were scanned in different body postures and around 100 body measurements were captured per person. The data was acquired between 2008 and 2010 and a short summary of the study was published in 2011. Now the results could also be used productively in RAMSIS to better adapt vehicles to the requirements of the Indian subcontinent and even to develop vehicles for Indian consumers.
The turban library for RAMSIS
And finally
That was the RUC 2016!
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The RAMSIS Excellence Award is awarded to young scientists at every RUC. The 2016 winners presented their work on the influence of biochemical aspects and on belt design.
Driver assistance systems and their effects on ergonomics in the vehicle were the subjects of the RAMSIS User Conference lectures in Salzburg. Cooperation partner KTM opened its doors and showed conference participants its development and production facilities – and how to master motocross!
And that was the RUC After the lectures, it was motocross time on KTM motorbikes.
And finally
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