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Ergonomic chair design
Ergonomic chair design
I was the design lead for the seat of this off road racing car. Based on ergonomic literature to fulfill Baja SAE Collegiate rules and informed by team member 3D body scans, co-creation events, and informal surveys and discomfort surveys on past seat iterations, we designed and manufactured a carbon fiber seat with 2 padding options for different sized drivers.
Goals
Goals
Designed to maximize driver comfort for increased focus and less fatigue, allow a greater range of motion, and accommodate adjustability for drastically different drivers and lumbar needs. This iteration of the seat also integrated a stronger environmental context, considering durability, prolonged compression, and presence of water and mud in material choices.
Ergonomic Postural Analysis
Ergonomic Postural Analysis
3D body scans and RAMSIS were used to visualize and quantify ideal ergonomic positioning for body types from the 5th percentile female to the 99th percentile male. We found that we could safely accommodate the largest expected drivers but smaller drivers needed to be pushed forward 3” to reach the pedals properly.
3D body scan of 95th percentile male (team member) positioned in the frame to check clearances and overall fit
RAMSIS analysis of 5th percentile female in neutral position (NASA study) in car frame to check reach
Discomfort Surveys
Discomfort Surveys
We developed discomfort surveys with an addition to identify pain points directly on the existing seat for team members to fill it out before and after driving 2 laps.
Visual portion of discomfort survey of 6'2" male driver
Co-creation Events
Co-creation Events
Participatory design to understand the needs and wants of a range of users led to holding co-creation events. Team members were given 8 minutes to design their ideal seat with a mix of foam, teeshirts, tape, bubble wrap, and ziplock bags.
The taller the driver the less lumbar support was focused and the more shoulder cushioning was emphasized.
5'4" female
5'5" female
5'7" female
6'2" male
Simplified visualization of indicated pain points (in blue) with associated body type
Summary of User Input
Summary of User Input
2 User interviews
8 Discomfort Surveys
6 Co-creation participants
Seat Design
Seat Design
Contoured with improved lumbar support to reduce high pressure points.
Elbow cut-outs to allow large range of motion
105° back angle for more relaxed recline
20° seat pan angle for leg support
Seat pan lengthened to 14.9” to allow smaller drivers closer to pedals
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
We opted for carbon fiber for the seat for it's durability and low weight.
This was an intensive part to create, starting in Solidworks to CNC machined high density foam plug as the basis for a fiberglass mold to the final carbon fiber layup.
Final Car
Final Car
This car went on to compete in the 2021 BSAE Louisville Competition. We won Design overall and placed 6th in Maneuverability.
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