Authors: Brennen T. McManus, Byoung-Keon Daniel Park, Nichole R. Orton, Miranda St. Amour, Sheila M. Ebert, Jingwen Hu, Miriam A. Manary, Kyle J. Boyle, Laura Malik, Tyler Vallier, Matthew P. Reed, and Kathleen D. Klinich—University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
Abstract
The advent of vehicles with automated driving systems (ADS) will be of particular benefit to people who remain seated in their wheelchairs while traveling. To develop occupant protection systems for integrated wheelchair stations, we need data on how the seated posture of people in wheelchairs differs from a typical automotive posture in a vehicle seat. In this study, we measured the three-dimensional shape of 51 people seated in their personal wheelchairs during several laboratory studies and at field locations. Baseline avatars for each person were generated through HumanShape.org tools. The body segments of these articulated avatars were manually adjusted with custom software to match the collected scan data. The orientations of participant body segments were compared to a nominal posture as a function of occupant characteristics. The findings can be used to help design occupant restraint systems for people seated in wheelchairs.
Pages: 3
Event: 67th Stapp Car Crash Conference
Type: Short Communication