BioRID II manikin and human seating position in relation to car head restraint

Abstract

The objective of the study was to compare stature, weight and backset (the horizontal distance (x) between the back of the occupant's head and the front of the seam on top of the head restraint) of the Biofidelic Rear Impact Dummy (BioRID II) to the same variables on seated volunteers in a car. The following methods were used. Data were collected from 154 randomly selected Swedish individuals (78 males and 76 females). The volunteers and the BioRID II were examined in a Volvo V70 car, year model 2003, in three positions: driver (hands on steering wheel), front passenger (hands in lap) and rear passenger. The study results were as follows: the BioRID II was found to correspond approximately to a 35th–45th percentile male in stature (−2 cm), a 35th percentile male in weight (−7 kg), a 96th percentile female in stature (+11 cm) and a 69th percentile female in weight (+8 kg). The BioRID II was designed to represent a male driver. The BioRID II backset corresponded well with the average of the male drivers of its stature. Larger deviations in backset were found for other volunteer sizes and other seating positions. The average backsets were 26 mm for females and 63 mm for males in the front seat positions. The volunteers had larger backset in the driver position (60 mm) than in the front passenger position (29 mm). Smaller differences in backset were seen between the BioRID II and the volunteers in the rear passenger position. This study provides data regarding the occupant size coverage of BioRID II, and unique data regarding backset, of different occupant positions in the car; driver with hands on steering wheel, and front and rear passengers with hands in lap, for female and male in relation to the BioRID II dummy.

Keywords:

• BioRID II
• stature
• weight
• backset
• gender
• position

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Carl-Axel Höjer for helpful assistance with test equipment and Lotta Jakobsson and Magnus Björklund, all at Volvo Cars, for outstanding support during the study. The study was funded by the Swedish Road Administration, Folksam Research, and Volvo Cars.