New auto seat, designed in SolidWorks, could help crash victims walk away

New Delhi: A West Coast development team has used software by SolidWorks, a Dassault Systèmes S.A company, to design and analyse a new seat that could double the safety of cars in head-on collisions. Several car companies and seating manufacturers are presently testing the seat, which operates on the same principle as a porch glider - pendulum motion.

American Ergonomics Corp. recently performed an extensive series of crash tests on its Counter-Balanced Motion ("CBM") seat technology under National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) guidelines. Dummies riding in the seat and wired with sensors were driven into a solid wall at 35 mph. The test results, affirmed by specialized auto crash simulation software, indicated the CBM seat could reduce head injuries by 30 per cent and leg injuries by 70 per cent, according to the company.

Head-on collisions generally involve two impacts, one when the driver''s body slams forward in the cockpit and a second, rearward "whiplash" when the head and neck recoil. The CBM seat mitigates the first impact in a collision by arcing forward a few inches on an upturned rail, tipping the body away from the impact and folding the legs safely away from the floor.

The lower back stays safely in contact with the backrest, and the face travels more slowly to impact with the airbag. The seat absorbs the subsequent recoil by sliding back into its original position. The same actions serve everyday comfort by enabling drivers and passengers to stretch their legs, automatically adjust their seat, and experience continuous lumbar support.

American Ergonomics Corporation is a California corporation engaged in the research and development, prototype manufacturing, patenting, and licensing of several lines of dynamic seating products for the transportation, industrial, office, and ergonomic seating markets.

The same team that produced the ultra-flexible Ergomax office chair at American Ergonomics and Gizmo Design of Sebastopol, California developed CBM technology. Designer Tom Greer, owner of Gizmo Design, used SolidWorks 3D CAD software to adapt the seat design for automobiles and used COSMOSWorks Designer analysis software to refine the design and carefully predict what would happen to the seat upon impact.

Greer, who brings a rich background of product design, engineering, prototype fabrication, and manufacturing to the company''s work. founded Gizmo Design in 1999.

"After the crash test, we removed the seat pan and held it up to the COSMOSWorks image on our computer screen, and they were identical," said Greer. "COSMOSWorks absolutely predicted what would happen in the real world so precisely it made our hair stand on end. More importantly, the result of our work will make the difference between someone leaving the scene of a crash on foot or, sadly, in an ambulance.

"We purchased SolidWorks software over Pro / ENGINEER and AutoCAD Inventor Series because of its ease of use, compatibility with other platforms, and pervasive use by our machine shop partners," he said. "It has served us well over many products and many years." Greer uses the software to design a wide range of products for the consumer, medical, aerospace, and automotive industries, including Hasbro''s SuperPlexus Maze Game.

"The inventor and designer have an unquenchable passion for design and innovation - in this case, a potentially life-saving innovation," said Rainer Gawlick, SolidWorks vice president of worldwide marketing. "We aim to support it through equally passionate innovation of the SolidWorks and COSMOS products through 2007 and beyond."

SolidWorks develops and markets software for design, analysis, and product data management and is the leading supplier of 3D CAD technology, providing intuitive, high-performing software that helps product design teams develop great products.