Design for Safety & Comfort Part 2

ES4A7

Dr Rebecca Cain

Today...

Introductions Module information Module overview Starting to think about comfort Designing for older drivers

Introduction Module Leader - Dr Rebecca Cain

Associate Professor in Experiential Engineering, WMG R.Cain.1@warwick.ac.uk Tel. 02476 575951 International Digital Laboratory (IDL)

Introduction Registered students on this module

Vignesh Amur Kyriacos Antoniou Matthew Aumonier Jonathan Coleman David Eyre Jack Fairweather Craig Fox Bhavan Gill Joseph Glover Matthew Lowe Arron Maytum Simon Saunders William Von Ohlen

Module Information 30 “lectures”

Tuesday 9.00-10.00 (H1.02) Wednesday 10.00-11.00 (S0.10) Thursday 12.00 – 1.00 (H0.03)

6 hours of labs Monday 2nd Feb 2.00-5.00 (TBC - outside) Monday 16th Feb 2.00-5.00 (LabCar, IDL)

Module Information Assessment

Coursework 30%. Set Tuesday in week 22, Due Wednesday in week 30

Examination 70%. 3 hours. NEW - 4 compulsory questions

Module Information

Format 15 CATS 112 hours of self study You are expected to do

further reading and learning yourself

Lectures, activities, demos, tours, labs, speakers

DESIGN

FOR

SAFETY &

COMFORT

2

Lectures Academic and industrial speakers It is essential to attend lectures – no speaker is

impressed if they turn up to an empty room

Reading List

See http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/eso/modules/year4/es4a7/

Learning OutcomesBy the end of the module the student should be able to...

• Analyse and model the behaviour of automobile systems with respect to the safety of occupants and other road users.

• Analyse and model the behaviour of automobile systems with respect to the comfort of occupants and other road users.

• Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the legislative, social and environmental factors relevant to safety and comfort in automobiles.

• Recognize the future direction of the Design of Safety and Comfort systems within the automotive engineering sector.

• Appreciate the role and use of safety systems in automobile engineering.

• Appreciate the role and use of comfort systems in automobile engineering.

Module overview Theories of safety –

Ergonomics, human factors, human error, smart driving, driver distraction,

Theories of comfort – Body engineering, perceived quality, sustainable luxury, seat

comfort, beautiful engineering, final vehicle product audit, sound quality,

Underpinning technologies – Embedded systems, Hybrid vehicles, CFD, FEA

What do you think is the link between safety and comfort?

In pairs, discuss this and come up with three features in a vehicle which contribute to a more comfortable ride, while also helping to reduce accidents.

Link between safety and comfort

Comfort affects safety – all aspects that contribute to a more comfortable drive also help to reduce accidents E.g. Entry and egress from the vehicle, seat

belt latches, adjustable steering wheels, electrically adjustable and heated mirrors, power steering, anti-glare rear view mirrors

What is comfort?

The problems with comfort

There is no such thing as a general notion of comfort or discomfort

The exact cause of comfort or discomfort is unknown. There is no model available that describes the cause of comfort

Every individual has his or her own meaning for comfort. Comfort is a subjective phenomenon

The importance of comfort

Older drivers – the risks In fact...

Older drivers’ accident involvement is not markedly different to younger drivers

But the confounding factor is their much reduced annual mileage, so exposure is less

When all accident types are considered there is no age-related increase in the total number of accidents for the over 60s

Older drivers – the risks Older drivers far more likely to die or suffer serious

injury in an accident because of their physical frailty (whereas younger people might walk away)

Older people more prone to serious chest injury, predominantly due to forces exerted by the restraint system, particularly in frontal impacts

So, are older drivers a risk to others?

The evidence suggests not Younger drivers are far more likely to kill pedestrians than older

drivers However, this may be largely accounted for by differences in

annual mileage – and older drivers will be expected to drive more in the future...

Driving is a self-paced task and drivers manage their exposure to increased risk. Older drivers: Drive less Drive slower Avoid demanding traffic conditions Avoid night-time driving

Older drivers First, lets look at the scope of the problem... Some demographic stats...

By 2015, nearly 1 in 5 of us will be aged 65 or over In a population of approximately 500 million people in the

EU, it is estimated there are 100 million people over retirement age, 2 million users of wheelchairs, and 2 million people who are blind, etc.

Disabilities increase with age and 2/3 of disabled people are elderly.

In the 2001 UK census –more people over the age of 60 than under 16!

Baby boomers A person born between 1945 and 1965 (now aged 45-65)

– during the period of increased birth rates following World War II

Around 17 million baby boomers in the UK, approximately 29% of the total population

A fragmented population in terms of attitudes and values, but renowned for liberalism and individualism Non-conformist – desire to make more personalised

choices First generation to grow up in a consumer society,

products of the age of affluence, expecting individual wants and needs to be satisfied

Baby boomers Use of technology

85% own mobile phones 62% use the internet 2/3 think that computers and other

modern electronic devices are good fun

Baby boomers currently hold 80% of the UK’s wealth and buy 80% of all top of the range cars

The challengeBaby boomers want ease of use, comfort and convenience

BUT

They also want things that demonstrate they are active and “with it”

They don’t want “old people’s” products, or “old people’s” cars!!

Older drivers – the issues In many countries worldwide by 2030, 1 in 4 persons

will be aged 65+ Westernised societies moving increasingly towards

‘suburbanisation’ imposing more demands on personal mobility

More reliant on the car for simple everyday necessities

Reduced public transport services and higher costs Wish and need to retain independence and to

continue travelling

Older drivers – the issues BUT Elderly people are inherently comparatively frail Bone and muscle strength decreases with age

resulting in lower tolerance to injury Decline in vision, hearing, information processing,

motor performance, reaction time Side effects from medications Faster cars + busier roads = increased risks

Visual issues Visual impairment,

affecting functions including: Static and dynamic

visual acuity Contrast sensitivity Glare sensitivity

Cognitive changes Cognitive changes, including:

Working memory Selective attention Processing speed

Physical changes Physical changes

brought on by: Reductions in

strength Reductions in

flexibility Reductions in range

of motion brought on by arthritis and other conditions

Diseases Many serious medical conditions such as

Alzheimer’s disease, cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration typically have late-life onsets.

Such conditions can significantly interfere with driving

Also side effects from medications

How do we design for older drivers?

How can young, healthy (mostly) male engineers design and engineer cars

for older drivers?

How can they empathise with how it feels to be old?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEDF9ut7iCc

Ford Third Age Suit

Third Age Suits

Further research:Which other vehicle manufacturers are using third

age suits?

Can you find examples of “age-friendly” controls…

Investigate these further through self-directed web-based research

We will revisit these later in the module…