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By
EWAN KENNEDY
25 November 2007
Nissan Australia hosted a number of Australian journalists at
the Tokyo Motor Show in October, where the excitement surrounding the
new GT-R performance car was unprecedented. Indeed, the whole industry
waited in anticipation of the global reveal.
Aware of the upcoming interest I got there a quarter of an hour
before the GT-R was unveiled, only to find myself behind a huge
crowd that made it all but impossible to see the car. Fortunately
Nissan Australia had arranged for us to preview of the car the
evening before the opening of the Show, as well as setting up an
interview with the charismatic CEO of Nissan, Carlos Ghosn. So we
had the GT-R well covered.
But it wasn't all power, passion and sporting style. Away from
the Tokyo Motor Show and the excitement of the GT-R, Nissan opened
the doors of its Advanced Technical Centre to the motoring media
and staged a series of engineering information sessions on a range
of subjects, particularly on future features in cars. Features
that could one day turn from concept into reality.
One such research project involved the use by body engineers of
specially designed ‘old-timer’ suits. Worn by the youthful
automotive engineers, these suits help the operator to better
understand the physical limitations and restrictions experienced
by older people, particularly drivers. The special suits limit
movement and flexibility of the researchers as they seek solutions
to ergonomic challenges probably not experienced by younger
drivers.
The most noticeably feature of the suit is the thick belt
around the waist. About 250 mm wide and 50 mm thick it does an
excellent job of duplicating what’s euphemistically known as the
‘middle aged spread’. That bulge around the middle makes it
harder to get in and out of a car and can even cramp a driver’s
movement behind the steering wheel if the seats aren't correctly
designed.
The special suit also stiffens the engineers’ body movements,
particularly at the knees and ankles, often the first parts of the
body to start to play up as the joints approach their use-by
dates. Restrictions are also created at the elbows using a complex
system of levers. Checking on neck movement is also important as
it can influence how well the driver is able to use the door
mirrors and how easy it is to see out of the back whilst
reversing.
It’s good to see that Nissan engineers, and we understand
those from other car makers as well, are paying attention to these
important matters. Because it’s not unusual in this day and age
for Australian males to live until their late seventies, and many
women are getting into the mid eighties. Giving these people the
freedom offered by the motor car is very important to them as they
wish to keep their independence as long as possible.
Naturally, the old-timer suits can also give an insight into
problems faced by partially disabled drivers of any age.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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