Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/764523
Another challenge with seats is to make them comfortable as drivers shift positions throughout the day. Maintaining a static pos- ture for a long period of time is not good because it impedes blood fl ow at pressure points. "We have to design the seat to allow drivers to adjust their posture to alleviate some of those pressure points," he says. Sleeping in comfort A highly scrutinized area of driver safety is the quantity and quality of sleep. Mack's sleeper areas refl ect careful attention to the ergonomics of sleep with the installation of adjustable lighting and accessible HVAC power outlets. Drivers give their input into the design decisions such as storage space and location of the bunk. Interestingly, Russoli says, most drivers surveyed say they prefer to sleep with their head on the driver's side of truck. That info helps design the location of the sleeper controls and electronics placement. Looking forward Going forward, ergonomists will continue working with digital human modeling and look at things like dynamic driver posture, driver distraction and driver health as it relates to cab design. While Bowman could not divulge specifi cs about what Mack is working on in the area of ergonomics, he did say, "We have the tools and processes in place to consider all the ergonomic impacts of the vehicle and we can pull from global resources to help with the design of our vehicles." One of the most talked-about topics is the near future of autonomous commercial vehi- cles. Platooning, where multiple trucks travel in a road train led by one vehicle via wireless communication, will have driver implications centered around in-cab controls and informa- tion displays. Bowman says there is ongoing research about how to keep the driver engaged as more aspects of driving become automated. "The role of the ergonomist is going to con- tinue to grow as we move forward, especially with the introduction of platooning and auto- mation. We will have to work on making sure the driver stays alert and aware of what is happening around him so he can take control of the vehicle if he needs to." COVER STORY Entering and exiting Getting into and out of a truck can be risky. In fact, according to a report by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and Center for Ergonomic Industrial and Operation Engineering, there are nearly 15,000 lost-time slip or fall injuries to truck drivers each year in the U.S. Fifty percent of those falls happen when the driver is entering or exiting the trac- tor with more injuries reported during the exit. That's why ergonomists focus on analyzing how a driver gets in and out of a cab depending upon the arrangement of the step, grab handles, door opening width and where the seat and steering wheel are located. Bowman says they apply motion capture technology and biomechanical analysis of the driver's stability as they enter and exit the truck and then use digital human modeling technology to guide the design. Stu Russoli, highway product manager for Mack, breaks the process down to the nuts and bolts. "Mack models have an exterior grab handle behind the door so as soon as the door is opened, the driver can use one hand to grab the handle and his left hand can then grab either the interior door handle or the steering wheel and start climbing the steps. The exterior handle extends from the bottom of the door to the top so the right hand can slide up the handle and never lose contact. Mack's steps are designed to be stair-stepped (the bottom step extends further out than the top step) as opposed to a ladder style. This makes it easier to climb and descend, prevents the driver from hitting their shin on the higher step and gives a better view of the bottom step." "We have to design the seat to allow drivers to adjust their posture to alleviate some of those [blood fl ow] pressure points." Stu Russoli, highway product manager for Mack 1 0 | BULLDOG | 2 0 1 6 V 3