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Ford Puts “Robutt” to Work on Seat Testing
Ford Motor Co. has developed a new robotic system to test the durability and comfort of vehicle seats.
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Ford Motor Co. has developed a new robotic system to test the durability and comfort of vehicle seats.
The carmaker started by creating pressure maps that measure how occupants sit and get out of a vehicle. Based on this data, a Kuka robot arm lowers the so-called “Robutt” device onto a car seat, which Ford says more accurately simulates how real people move than previous tests conducted with pneumatic cylinders.
The robot, which is based on a large man’s torso, repeats the process 25,000 times over a three-week period. This represents about 10 years of actual use, according to Ford. A separate device is used to measure seat deflection and softness to help improve comfort.
The carmaker began using the system during the development of the Fiesta small car at its tech center in Cologne, Germany. All future Ford European cars will go through similar tests.
Watch a video of the tests here.
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