Driver Comfort and Gender Inequality Measured with DHMs

Abstract: Comfort is a subjective measure of how well motor vehicles accommodate the population. With Digital Human Models (DHMs) as drivers, comfort can be objectively evaluated on a 10-point scale with dimensions that measure accommodation of body size and back posture in seat support, controls reach, and lines of sight. In this study, the authors describe how comfort is measured with DHMs in production vehicles. The analysis of 42 vehicles reveals comfort scores by body size are unequal for small females (7.0) and large males (8.25) when compared to the medium-sized males (8.95). DHMs also reveal comfort varies with back posture. Given sexual dimorphism in body size, females are not as well accommodated in motor vehicle interiors as larger males, and seat design contributes to this inequality in the effects of cushion length on pedal reach and head restraint position on eye position for driving.

Keywords: Driver Comfort, Gender Inequality, DHM, Automotive

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1001909

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