Search Results

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.

A methodology for evaluating aids and barriers to vehicle Ingress/Egress (I/E) was developed to assess subject performance with prototype features designed to improve I/E. The measures used included Perceived User Difficulty, Total Time to perform a task, and Observed Body Movements identified during video analysis of the I/E tasks. The observed movements included foot/door interference, movement discontinuity, trunk rocking, and upper extremity usage. Pilot testing of this methodology showed that subjective and objective user preference and performance data could be measured and that this information provided a more complete understanding of the problems associated with specific prototype solutions.