DCA Transport Brochure 002

Over half a century of transport design.

Welcome

Since the early sixties we have helped a wide variety of companies design and develop market leading products that users still value every day, ranging from the Stanley knife to the Eurotunnel Shuttle.

Today we focus on building long term relationships with large corporations in four market sectors: ‘Medical and Scientific’, ‘Consumer’, ‘Commercial and Industrial’, and ‘Transport’.

Founded in 1960, we are one of the world’s leading product design and development consultancies, operating globally from our campus in Warwick, UK.

Our History

In 1960 David Carter CBE RDI founded David Carter Associates (DCA) as "a multidisciplinary consultancy involved in designing products for mass production".

Today

We work globally from our campus of offices, studios and workshops in the historic town of Warwick, UK.

Our expertise

We do this through an intelligent appproach to design, based on the transparent management of risk, informed decision making, true integration of disciplines and rigorous development processes.

We believe that the outstanding commercial success of the products we help create is dependent ultimately on delivering exceptional value to our clients customers.

We provide the right blend of strategic thinking and pragmatism to deliver our clients’ projects successfully.

We balance the creativity and the technical discipline needed to achieve commercially successful product innovation.

Every client is unique. To support our clients, we like to understand them, their place in the market and their ambitions thoroughly.

We add value by improving the success of product innovation.

Our Awards We have won over 35 international awards in the last five years .

Intellectual Property

Since 2000 our team have created over 1,700 granted patents for our clients.

Our People

They combine to create a vibrant fusion of disciplines including mechanical engineers, electronics and software engineers, industrial designers, usability and interaction experts, researchers, strategists, prototyping technicians and specialist project managers.

Each person is an expert in their own field, but has the curiosity, understanding and flexibility to reach across traditional interdisciplinary boundaries.

Our organisational structures and team culture encourage this synergistic blending and integration of specialist skills.

Our clients benefit not only from each individual’s depth of knowledge and experience but also from a team whose combined strength exceeds the sum of its individual members’ expertise.

DCA is a collection of over 130 extraordinary individuals. Intelligent, creative and thorough, our people make the difference to our clients’ projects.

Our connected disciplines

DCA’s specialists offer robust tools and techniques in every field of product design and development, but it’s the connection between these different disciplines that we believe make us unique.

Our studios, laboratories and workshops have different disciplines working side by side. Our ability to connect and integrate the right disciplines, at the right time, in the right way is the cornerstone of our approach.

There are no departments at DCA. Our studios, laboratories and workshops have different disciplines working side by side. Over fifty years we have developed an expertise in connecting and integrating the right disciplines, at the right time, in the right way to achieve success for our clients.

Since our foundation, a multidisciplinary philosophy has been the cornerstone of our approach to product design and development.

Software Engineering

Interaction Design

Mechanical Engineering

Design Research & Planning

Prototyping

Electronic Engineering

Industrial Design

Human Factors & Usability

Our role in your innovation

Delivering complex transport projects.

Transportation design projects are typically complex and multifaceted. They will require the careful management of multiple stakeholder and supplier relationships to deliver the best project outcomes efficiently.

No single aspect of the project can be addressed in isolation. DCA’s multi-disciplinary team can tackle all project aspects

concurrently, delivering a complete transport design and development service within a controlled project management structure built upon many years’ experience of successful project delivery.

Stakeholder requirements and delightes

Research

Communication and PR Visualisation and VR

Brand values and Creativity

Design

Inclusive and Intuitive solutions fitted to people

Human Factors

Testing, Validation and approvals

Rigs, mockups and prototypes

Functionality, Reliability, Robustness

Engineering

Delivering your transport design project successfully

Smart and Connected

Electronics and Software

Attractive finishes and Appropriate materials

CMF

Comfortable and Welcoming

Ergonomics

Production ready

DFMA

Research and Strategy

Our researchers use a variety of tools and techniques to study and understand people’s journey experiences, and to develop an in-depth knowledge of the working practices and needs of operating and maintenance staff.

We are looking for evidence to establish what your stakeholders really value, what works well for them, what frustrates them and what excites them.

The resulting insights provide clarity and direction for our design team. Most importantly, research enables you to manage and reduce your development risk because innovation effort and development investment can be focused in those areas where our research findings show that it will have the most impact.

Our switch to electric planes

Electric trains, cars, bikes, scooters and now planes. In what feels like the blink of an eye, the era of electric flight is fast upon us and it has developed from seemingly implausible science fiction to game-changing innovation set to transform the world around us.

Article by Dominic Hargraeves Senior Sector Manager

Electric flight doesn't just involve swapping propulsion technology from combustion engines for electric motors and continuing with our existing airborne mobility paradigm. It is going to enable a completely new way of travelling and living. It has always seemed rather far-fetched to think that we would be flying around in cars. However, with multiple organisations progressing the development of eVTOL (electric

vertical take off and landing) air taxis and shuttles, this is increasingly looking like an achievable future reality.

When it comes to solving the problems of capacity and congestion that dog our current ground based transport infrastructures, small scale electric flying vehicles may be the technological game changer that autonomous cars have so far failed to be. The challenge of providing internet access in remote areas was solved by stepping away from the existing technology and adopting satellite enabled communication rather than attempting to install more cables. In the same way, perhaps the sky offers a better option for short to medium length journeys

rather than continually expanding and extending our existing road and rail networks.

High straight line speed isn't essential, as has been demonstrated by the lack of a Concord replacement. Total journey time is usually dominated by embarkation, disembarkation and change overs, as well as external factors like congestion that cause delays. If the infrastructure can be provided to support direct transfer from A to B, safely and cost effectively, travelling via small scale electric shuttle aircraft is going to be a compelling proposition.

With the world’s first airport for electric aircraft including air taxis and autonomous delivery drones due to open in Coventry, England later this year, the first steps to establishing this infrastructure are well underway. Increasingly, cities are including electric planes in their transport strategies and new building plans incorporate roof loading capacities to support such urban airports. It is tempting to imagine the roofs of all major travel hubs like railway stations and international airports being converted so that fleets of air taxis replace the rows of cabs that currently congregate here.

Of course the cost of establishing this infrastructure will be substantial. However, we need to compare this to the cost of maintaining and expanding our ground based transport networks, including the cost of establishing a new infrastructure to support the switch to electric and hydrogen propulsion systems. And then there are the broader social and environmental issues that will inevitably accompany any large scale infrastructure project like HS2.

Furthermore, particle pollution created by tyre degradation is going to be the next big issue for road transportation if vehicle numbers continue to grow. Sadly, the move to electric cars will do nothing to address this. Electric flight ultimately drives us towards autonomous flight. With battery power so valuable, why expend the energy required to take a pilot with you if you can leave them on the ground? Also if this market takes off (excuse the pun) as expected there is going to be a shortage of suitably trained pilots / drivers, at least in the short term. It could be debated that autonomous flight is more achievable than overcoming the challenges involved in delivering (Level 5) fully autonomous self-driving cars. The skies are vast, with an additional vertical dimension, less cluttered and more predictable than our urban streetscapes. The technical and design challenges that need to be overcome to deliver electric planes in the numbers envisaged here are immense. However, cars are themselves extremely complex products and yet we have the technology to turn them out reliably and consistently in vast numbers, even as manufacturers are migrating from their mature combustion engine platforms to new electric and hybrid models. It isn't hard to extrapolate that this same manufacturing knowledge could be used to create electric planes in large numbers.

Covid-19 has shown us that business didn't just stop because travel was curtailed. Companies have had to find a way to do business remotely and in future justifying travel in terms of journey time, cost and environmental impact will become more difficult. Will that meeting really be substantially better if I attend in

person? Some physical meetings will still be needed and electric shuttle planes using autonomous control, highly reliable electric motors, and energy harvested from low cost sustainable sources, could allow these to take place at an acceptable environmental and economic cost. The growth in homeworking has encouraged people to consider living and working in remoter areas. However, there will still be the need for face to face interactions, and people will still need to travel from these remote locations into city offices. Access to electric personal flight would support this new lifestyle choice far better than the existing patchy rural transport options.

The perceived freedom of an individual car journey may be hard to improve on, at least in theory, despite the congestion and environment impact it can cause. The case for small scale shared electric flight may well challenge that and, in so doing, create a more sustainable and enduring transport solution. Ultimately, we are going to need a range of transport solutions to meet our different travel needs. The development of electric flight has the potential to deliver sustainable travel for individuals and small groups in the form of privately owned, hired and public shuttles/taxis in the future. At DCA we are excited to see how our transportation infrastructure develops to accommodate this new mode of travel and how our business and leisure activities evolve in response.

The era of electric flight is fast upon us and it has developed from seemingly implausible science fiction to game-changing innovation set to transform the world around us.

Industrial Design

To create concepts that go far beyond what is currently on offer, our design teams continually question and refine their ideas so that our designs represent a real step forward.

Through our work with world-class brands, we have developed a deep understanding of visual identity and a strong appreciation of brand values. We work with brand owners to shift their expectations,

push boundaries and help them break into new territories with the ultimate aim of improving brand engagement. We leverage innovation and creativity to align form and function to deliver a memorable travel experience that passengers will want to repeat time and time again.

Successful transport design solutions must be inspirational, exciting and memorable. They have to capture the public’s imagination as well as meeting passengers’ true needs and desires.

DCA's mid-sized coach design for King Long wins innovation award

Article by R-P Kruizinga Transport Sector Manager & Senior Associate

Shortly after King Long’s 5th generation mid-size luxury coach, the Jieguan 5, was unveiled at the Bus & Truck Expo in Beijing it was announced that it has won the “2020 Tourist Bus Innovation Award”. This success is the culmination of a two year design programme between DCA and King Long, with DCA being responsible for both the exterior and interior design of the new coach, whose name fittingly translates as Champion.

The new coach is of strategic importance for King Long, the midsized coach market represents a significant amount of international and domestic sales for the Chinese

bus maker. DCA kicked off the project in 2018 at King Long’s headquarters in Xiamen. “We started with ergonomic and human factor research, assessing their current passenger and drivers seats. Seat comfort is central to a great experience on-board but goes further than just the seat so we also observed and interviewed passengers, drivers, operators and maintenance staff on several coach journeys while we were in China. These activities coupled with our research into shifting travel behaviours and passenger expectations gave us crucial insights and laid the foundations for our later design work“. Explained Lisa

Baker, DCA’s

Human factors and Ergonomic skill leader on this project.

As part of the DCA’s collaborative approach for vehicle design we invited different stakeholders such as King Long’s key suppliers, global sales partners, operators and drivers to give feedback at key points in the design process. This proven approach helped us gaining market insights and inform the team on technical and cost constraints early on in the process, greatly helping to maintain the design intent and smoothen the transition from concept to production.

The exterior design is a new take on King Long’s existing brand language, carrying over some key design elements but refining King Long’s brand language going forward, injecting a sense of precision, simplicity and energy.

The DCA custom designed LED headlights and other active safety features such as the automatic collision detection and adaptive cruise control of which its sensors and radar units have been integrated into the design of the front facia all help make this King Long’s safest coach yet.

For the interior DCA’s team of designers and ergonomic experts redesigned the seats and passenger touch points for a better on-board experience. The controls for the air vents and reading lights traditionally sit near the window making them hard to access for the passenger in the aisle seat. DCA redesigned the luggage racks so that the internal air ducts could move further towards the aisle allowing for the air vents and reading lights to sit directly above each passenger making them easily accessible for both.

DCA developed the passenger seat together with King Long’s supplier and due to its modular design it will be offered with range of options including a tray table, USB charging ports and tablet and phone holders. The contrasting light grey and dark blue colours being used throughout the interior not only help reduce the visual clutter but also make the interior visually more spacious.

The iconic King Long blue is being reinterpreted and combined with a special hard wearing metallic like finish. This material is being used on high impact areas and helps reduce damage, keeping the interior looking fresher longer.

King Long

Jieguan 5 mid-sized coach

Interior and exterior design

Colour, material and finish

Industrial design

Exterior design

Insight and strategy

Production support

Usability and HF

Combining human factors and design to deliver successful rail interiors

Article by Paul Rutter Transport Sector Manager

Published in Rail Professional

Countries and cities around the world take great pride in announcing large scale transport projects: think HS2 in the UK, the Shinkansen in Japan and China High Speed Rail. These are promoted with exciting concepts, which are a critical part of the design process. Early sketches and glossy renders help to grab public attention, build expectations and generate slick visions of what is to come. All too often though, the human element, or the impact it has on users, can be overlooked or left out. Adding it later to the design process is likely to cause friction and change, often to the detriment of the original design vision, and it can also be time consuming and costly.

Of course, the design of trains, high speed or metro, does not have to follow down this welltrodden path. There is another way whereby the human element is factored in from the outset. This greatly reduces any issues and potential conflicts and often helps fuel the creative process.

The argument for more human focused designs is clear. It leads to better trains and services for all. Developing services that more people can use makes ethical and financial sense. A big incentive for inclusive train design, beyond the ethical imperatives, is a greater target audience and increased ridership as well as potentially happier passengers. With an ageing global population, this becomes particularly relevant in driving passenger numbers up worldwide.

Alongside the ethical and commercial incentives though, there exists an ever-increasing legislative burden. Since the 1990s public awareness of disabilities and the right to equal access has become a central focus of public transport design. The introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 followed by the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (RVAR) and now the Persons with Reduced Mobility (PRM TSI) has brought legislation and guidelines that describe and define best

practice and minimum acceptable levels. Issues such as step heights, colour contrasts, access ramps, and wheelchair accessible spaces have all become commonplace. Train operators and manufacturers have to consider these issues very carefully and make sure that the correct provision is in place.

Historically the initial focus of these standards was on physical capabilities – suggested in the title PRM (Persons with Reduced Mobility). However, this acronym is misleading as many of the requirements are in place to address sensory capabilities as well. More recently still, we are seeing a much greater recognition for cognitive capabilities. The latest topic, currently attracting far more attention, is neurodiversity – design for mind and the impact that the built environment has on our perceptions of the world around us. Sensory stimulation, such as audible or visual noise can cause dizziness, headaches or disorientation.

Design intervention to improve the environment is complicated because a solution for one type of sensory difference might be to the detriment of another. It is very important that, as designers, we engage with stakeholders representing a range of capabilities to ensure all needs can be reasonably met.

Human Factors (HF), as a design discipline, covers everything from anthropometrics, usability, psychological and physiological principles to the engineering and design of products. HF design advocates an explicit consideration of people’s capabilities (from a physical, sensory, and cognitive perspective) from the outset of a project. Applying HF ‘best practice’ is one of the challenges that falls to designers, as a duty of care, to ensure that the train and the service it delivers meet the HF needs of the widest possible audience and, importantly, the laws and regulations surrounding their use and operation.

Our experience of HF design, as one of the leading transport design consultants, is to treat the subject as a creative problem-solving exercise. It is very easy to criticise and reject design proposals on the grounds that they don’t meet a particular standard or specified criteria. This critical rejection cycle hinders the design process and acts as a brake on progress often causing project deadlines to slip while alternative solutions are sought.

DCA recognises the importance and benefits of integrating multifaceted skill sets, including Human Factors, to solve problems and bring a project to a successful outcome. HF design can be seen as a key driver in decision-making right from the start of a project. Our approach is to make Human Factors integral to each stage of the design process beginning with a clear definition of the HF related standards and requirements that have to be met.

A human Factors Integration Plan (HFIP) should be created at the outset of a project. It outlines the process required to meet the standards and identifies the key milestones in the design process at which information and evidence will be available to allow the sign off of a design or concept.

Safety and legal requirements are applied to the design subject in a creative and practical approach to ensure that the key metrics are met. It is important to decide before a project starts which data sets (human anthropometric measurement data) and what size populations need to be considered. Design solutions are generated and applied to the product or service, with sizes matched to user populations, contrast values applied to colour choices, and spatial clearance for user activities.

However, compliance with standards and guidelines should not be viewed as the end goal, rather as the minimal requirement. True inclusive design actually takes creativity and imagination. It involves working with a broad range of stakeholders, testing designs and running through different use cases and scenarios. User trials can be conducted to demonstrate and test the ideas not only against the standards, but also to find better ways of doing things. Trials can be carried out on simple mock-ups or rigs or using Virtual Reality (VR). A combination of VR and simple spatial rigs, used to define fixed hard points, can create an Augmented Reality (AR) environment that can often work very well at an early stage of the design process as a check to establish compliance before committing to detailed engineering development.

How does this differ from the usual design process?

In a rail context, the key difference is the way in which a design brief or specification is used at the beginning of a project. Often the manufacturer or supplier provides just a series of technical requirements, for instance in

the form of a Train Technical Description or TTD. As designers, our role then is to interpret these requirements to guide and manage the design outcome. This is where the difference comes in. We add HF into the mix of design activities to ensure that the TTD requirements related to Human Factors are met throughout the development cycle. Feedback is applied to the design using the outcome of the HF activities and user trials, and the HF compliance process is clearly documented alongside the design development rather than attempting to bolt it on retrospectively at the end of the design programme.

The final output would usually be a consolidated design book that tells the story of the development process combining the visual rendered images and the design evidence gathered through the HF review process. This would show how compliance is achieved against each HF requirement in the TTD that governs the train operation, and from a visual perspective it would also show how the design achieves the operator’s service brand aspirations.

Successful design projects, in our view, integrate the design and HF activities into the development cycle so that, when concepts are generated, a balanced combination of visual, practical and HF elements is achieved in order that they can all work together for mutual benefit. We see this as an iterative process that informs each stage of the project, ticking off HF compliance issues as early as we can to provide an inclusive perspective throughout. This ensures that the final product represents a truly holistic design that meets the needs of its users and retains the early aspirational ideas and excitement that originated the project.

Hitachi Rail

Nexus Metro

Tender support proposals

Design research

Industrial design

Visual brand language

Mechanical engineering

Model making

Usability and HF

Productionisation

Industrial design

Usability and HF

Mechanical engineering

Visual brand language

Colour, material and finish

Testing and evaluation

Production support

Research

Xiamen Golden Dragon

Navigator luxury coach Coach interior

Interaction Design

Our multidisciplinary approach delivers user interactions across physical and digital platforms that are simple, intuitive and a delight to use, and form an integrated part of your transport service offering.

We explore, develop and evaluate interaction solutions across product, application and service layers in order to address user needs with the correct balance of digital and physical touchpoints.

In an increasingly connected world, the challenges and opportunities for delivering compelling user experiences are greater than they have ever been.

Award winning flight deck simulator featured by IMechE

Article by Rob Bassil Technical Director

Mechanical Engineers website

New technologies have the potential to radically change the cockpit of the future. Engines are getting smarter – they are collecting more data and capable of making more autonomous decisions. Because these smarter engines have more to say, it may be time to rethink the way that we present their information to the pilot. A little further into the future and electric planes are set to become a real possibility, not only changing the conversation between the engines and pilot but also the task of flying the aircraft itself.

The Future Systems Simulator (FSS) is a purpose built test bed designed specifically to explore these challenges. It is highly configurable, allowing the number of pilots to be varied and the locations of major controls to be changed. It is built around a test-learn-update-test again cycle. Development of the FSS was an incredibly ambitious project, which was only successful as a result of the seamless collaboration

between leading academics from Cranfield University, experts and pilots from Rolls-Royce, and a leading multi-disciplinary design consultancy DCA Design International which designed and built the FSS.

Why build a testbed?

There is a remarkable story that ergonomists (or human factors specialists) love to tell. It’s a story about an ergonomist, called Alphonse Chapanis, who was tasked by the USAF with understanding why B-17 bomber pilots were inadvertently retracting the landing gear upon approach. Rather than leaping to the conclusion that more training was needed, Chapanis took the time to study the layout of the cockpit and compared it to other similar aircraft. He revealed that, unlike other aircraft, the B-17 controls for the landing gear and the flaps were almost identical and directly next to each other – making them easy to mistake. To remedy the issue,

Chapanis designed ‘add-ons’ for the controls (a rubber wheel for the landing gear and a small wooden wedge for the flaps). This simple fix was applied to the fleet and eliminated future instances of pilots inadvertently retracting the landing gear.

The reason ergonomists love to tell the story is that it is powerful on several levels. It highlights that even highly trained individuals (who have been through a tough selection process) can make mistakes if the products that they are required to work with are not optimised.It shows how a structured and systematic approach can identify the underlying cause of use errors. It highlights how, often simple, design changes can have a profound impact on system performance (e.g. safety).The story of the B-17 bombers is now a very old one, but it’s one that remains relevant today. A number of more recent events have shown that a lack of appropriate information being available to the flight crew can still result in the incorrect decisions being made. These are poignant reminders that further opportunities for optimisation exist.

Developing a visionary testbed

Flight simulators are most commonly thought of as training aids. They provide safe environments for pilots to experience rare events (such as engine failure from bird strikes) and develop their skills and experience in responding to these events. As ‘safe environments’, simulators also have another core advantage that they allow new cockpit interfaces to be tested to ensure that they are optimised for use and system performance.

Rolls-Royce is pioneering new technologies to monitor and

control engines as well as revolutionary new propulsion technologies. Acutely aware that even the slightest changes in the design of these spaces can have a profound impact on system performance, Rolls-Royce has embarked on an exciting programme of work to develop a Future Systems Simulator (FSS) to act as a testbed to explore how these new technologies will change the task of flying.

The vision for the FSS was clear –to develop a highly reconfigurable open platform interface that allows both exploration of potential nearterm changes to the flight deck, as well as providing a test-bed for revolutionary new technologies to be tested by currently serving airline pilots. The FSS is located in a dedicated space within Cranfield University’s Aerospace Integration Research Centre.

The simulator has been developed to be independent of any given airframe or manufacturer, yet reassuringly familiar to those used to traditional aircraft control types. As such, it’s possible to represent anything from relatively small single seat aircraft to the largest jumbo jets. When pilots strap into their seats, they are provided with a panoramic view of the external world presented on a large wraparound display. Their internal information can be presented across four large touch screens and an additional two smaller side screens.Pilots can interact directly with the touch-screens as well as through relatively conventional repositionable side sticks and thrust levers.

Behind the scenes, the simulator is powered by realistic flight models generated by aviation experts from Cranfield University. These models are informed by a detailed understanding of flight mechanics, weather patterns, and engine

As the aerospace industry sets out on a journey to a more electric, autonomous future, Rolls-Royce are aiming to explore the art of the possible, developing and testing new technologies.

characteristics, all of which are fully configurable. This allows for new propulsion technologies to be modelled and flown. These models are the heart of the FSS, controlling the external world as well as providing the inputs to the internal displays and even tactile feedback to the physical controls.

Collaborative approach

The physical layout of the cockpit displays and controls was directly influenced by the ergonomic needs of the pilot. While this started on paper, with anthropometric mannequins, a full sized MDF rig was built by DCA early on in the project to test assumptions with pilots and to gain additional feedback. This philosophy of stakeholder engagement continued throughout the project. Multiple interface layout iterations were assessed with test pilots in the physical mock-up. The final position, reach and size of elements was particularly influenced by this feedback. Both the physical and the digital elements of the system have been carefully crafted to provide a glimpse of the future grounded in logical familiarity, while retaining the sense of total flexibility for further development.

Alternative haptics

While a touch-dominant interface provides the most freedom for future applications, the interface aims to replicate existing cockpit design principles as well as conveying a high-level of tactile feedback. All critical control interactions were designed to reduce the chance of false inputs. From the beginning, the physical and digital configurability was designed to support the broad range of systems in development, from electrifying existing platforms to investigating novel, autonomous, electric vertical takeoff and landing platforms.

adjusting the seating configuration (single, twin, or three side-by-side), it can accommodate the traditional set of pilots, or be used to evaluate future control paradigms including single pilots with a remote co-pilot. Different physical controls can be introduced or even completely removed. The number of screens can also be changed along with their locations – all within a short space of time – allowing it to closely represent a variety of civil aircraft control philosophies.The digital elements of the FSS are, of course, also fully reconfigurable. The full colour, high-resolution (4K), touch screen displays allow multiple pilots to interact with the system at the same time.

A vision to be proud of Today, FSS is a fully flying simulator and is being flown by pilots as part of cutting-edge research into future aircraft interface concepts. The FSS is, quite simply, a researcher's dream as it allows an almost endless number of experiments to be accommodated. Exploring key questions facing aviation including single pilot operations, distributed crew operation with pilots on the ground, the suitability of new technologies, and a platform for exploring new innovative ways for pilots to receive information and interact with it. From the start, the design and construction of the FSS was an ambitious project, completed within seven months. It showcases what can be achieved when a diverse team, including experts in flight dynamics, industrial design, interface design, human factors, mechanical engineering, electronics, software, and prototyping, come together with a shared vision. The success of this collaborative effort was recently formally acknowledged when it won a coveted 2021 iF Design Award in the Product User Experience (UX) category.

Exploration without limits

The FSS has been designed by DCA to be reconfigurable at both a physical and a digital level. By

Rolls-Royce

Future Systems Simulator (FSS)

Complete system design, construction and installation

Colour, material and finish

Electronic hardware

Industrial design

Interaction design

Mechanical engineering

Prototyping

Software development

Testing and evaluation

Usability and HF

Virtual reality

Getting information off your car’s HMI screens

Article by Dominic Hargraeves Senior Sector Manager

Maximalism is often defined as the idea that “more is more” or from a more light hearted perspective, quoting architect Robert Venturi “less is a bore.” The opposite, minimalism, can be defined as the act of intentionally living with only the things you need - removing the distraction of excess to focus on what matters most. Minimalism is also often associated with freedom, allowing you to unburden yourself, freeing yourself from material connections to a place or time. The act of throwing away possessions is used to great effect in films to capture the act of moving on, the start of a new journey.

For us, minimalism has become a guiding principle for UX design, providing the user only with the information that they need, in the right place, at the right time, and in the most appropriate form.

Today's digital screens have transformed what is possible in HMI. This, combined with software created in accessible games engines including Unreal and Unity, has empowered us as designers. In the past, it was often the case that the software and hardware infrastructure required to take our ideas through to production didn’t exist. But now, through the incorporation of traditional and biometric sensor inputs, combined with real-time 3D effects based on live events, the possibilities are almost limitless.

Seemingly anything our imaginations can conceive is technically possible, which means that getting it right has become more and more critical to the user experience. There is no excuse for sub-optimal solutions. Giving users the information they want at the right times through digital screens is a real design challenge.

To avoid excessive complexity and information overload, hiding the unnecessary data has been the standard visual solution, using layering of deep menu structures to give the user more and more information on request, typically by touch control, voice activation or hand gestures. This has been the maximalist approach, providing the user with more information, more options and more control.

We have been exploring the use of eye-tracking and other technologies to establish best practices for hands free control of digital interfaces. The usability benefits this offers are possible because of better and more accessible technology, but is the digital screen actually the right place for all this information?

Why are we so obsessed with data and not the experience?

Watching a speedometer go rapidly from 0-60mph can be done playing a racing game from your sofa, but driving and feeling the vibration of the world passing

by at increasing speed is far more fun. Can we adopt a multi sensorial approach that combines physical and digital interfaces to deliver this same engagement and feel for the situation in a more minimalist solution? There is a legal requirement to ensure that essential information is conveyed for safety reasons. But what if staying within the regulations is also distracting us from the real task of driving? Should there be a sensorial approach as well as the informational graphic design? It may be the case that information doesn't need to be presented through displays or dials at all. Old school combustion engines didn't blow up just because the driver didn’t have a rev counter to refer to. They knew when they were getting close to the limit by the sound and vibration the engine made. The sensorial experience was a fundamental part of the driving experience.

In the modern age of electric vehicles, many of these very

visceral clues could be lost. In a number of real world applications we are exploring ways to replace these traditional tells with alternative sensorial cues that will allow us to reduce the depth and complexity of the information we need to display on the vehicle’s HMI screens. So as you drive faster, could the interior change to give you the feeling of speed? Does the interior respond to the way you are driving and the environment your vehicle is passing through?

DCA has been working with Bentley as their UX partner, using games engines and an innovative combination of digital and physical HMI interfaces, to bring back sensorial joy to the driving experience. The goal is that the experiences we are creating in development bucks using this approach can be embedded directly into production vehicles.

Giving users the information they want at the right times through digital screens is a real design challenge.

Bentley

In-car Smart Intelligence

Design and construction of AI demonstrator rig

User Experience design

Indestial Design

Usability and HF

Mechanical engineering

Software engineering

Modelmaking

Prototyping

Testing and evaluation

Bentley

Bentayga 2020

Graphical language for driver HMI

Colour, material and finish

Electronic engineering

Insight and strategy

Interior design

Prototyping

Testing and evaluation

Usability and HF

Colour, Material and Finish

Combinations of materials are tested, evaluated and refined to establish what really creates the right visual impression. This allows us to curate palettes of materials that bring travel experiences to life, building upon your brand’s qualities and aspirations.

We work with the world’s leading manufacturers and processors, approvals bodies and test houses to develop, refine and implement

certifiable material combinations that are fit for purpose and will continue to look great and function well in the travel environment. This means we can not only recommend the right CMF strategy, but also how this strategy can be implemented and controlled through production and maintained in use.

We continually work with material suppliers and regularly attend trade shows, exhibitions and conferences to source exciting material samples for inspiration.

Designing Carnival's next generation cabins

Carnival exists in an industry that has been totally opened up by the YouTube generation. All aspects of life on board are captured instantly on phones and then published to the world via social media.

So when DCA were approached by Carnival to re-design a series of their passenger cabins for Mardi Gras, we focused on the features that would have the maximum positive impact for the passengers, including the YouTube generation. To achieve this without adding unnecessarily to the build cost we sought to improve existing elements making them work harder and only adding new features where they deliver real value.

Article by Dominic Hargraeves Senior Sector Manager

We also needed to help the cabin crew keep up their high standards of presentation and cleanliness within a reduced timeframe by making cleaning and reconfiguration tasks simpler and quicker to achieve.

During a period of on board research we were able to experience the existing Carnival Staterooms first hand as well as interviewing and observing passengers and crew. We could see how proud the housekeeping

staff were of the cabins they were responsible for and how focused they were on giving their guests a great time. Their message was clear: don't destroy the great things we already have in place and remember that these cabins have to be durable. It was fantastic to hear their ideas and insights, and using this feedback we forged ahead with the task of making the cabins as easy to service as possible while delivering class leading functionality and visual impact to Carnival’s passengers. In this environment any design features that add complications and time for the housekeeping staff are unacceptable. When there are around 2640 individual cabins per ship, every extra second spent on cleaning or re-configuring a single cabin adds 41 minutes to the turnaround time. It was important to respect the decades of development work that had already gone into the cabins but it was also clear that there was still plenty of room for innovation. We had to focus our efforts on the features that would give Carnival and their guests true value for money. The old adage “the best bang for your buck” is clichéd but never truer than in the cruise line industry!

Representatives of every stakeholder group, from senior management through to the on board crew, scrutinized every design decision. What user need does this respond to? Where’s the value in this feature? How can it be implemented? Will it work reliably? Working with the Carnival team, we created a series of design principles to evaluate and select our proposals against: 'Does it create a more spacious feeling?’; 'Does it improve the cabin cleanability?'; ‘Is it designed for longevity?'; 'Does everything have its self-evident logical place?'; ‘Can we incorporate more smart storage?' and, importantly, 'Can we include elements of fun?'

When we started to work with the cabin manufacturer in Finland on the implementation of our design, one of their engineers quipped. "It was hard not to implement your ideas, because they are just better. Why wouldn't we do it?" An example of the kind of practical challenge we uncovered through our research was how to

make the bedside tables easier to reconfigure when changing between a twin and double bed cabin configuration. Our recommendation was to remove the existing bulky side tables and incorporate lightweight but sturdy cantilevered side tables attached to the headboard wall, which dramatically reduced configuration time. We also placed USB ports next to each bed position, so that guests could charge and use their devices at night. An aesthetic challenge we faced was how to make the traditionally angular rooms feel light and airy. Our solution was to increase the size of the vanity mirror and change it to a large circular form, making it a stand out as a visual feature adding both light and the feeling of space to the room.

Another important insight was the need to free up surface space. Moving the telephone off the countertop and onto the wall was a straightforward but significant win. We also made all the surfaces as fluid as possible with radiused

corners so that the cleaning staff could easily run their cloths over them, not having to rub around sharp corners where dirt traps might form.

We discovered that guests weren't using the existing room fridges. We fitted a transparent glass door, making the contents clearly visible, another big improvement which helped raise awareness and increased usage. The list of wins goes on throughout the cabin: providing hanging features to dry wet items; subtle lighting at night so guests can access the toilet without disturbing the other occupants of the room; fitting an in-swinging shower door to replace the traditional shower curtain; the inclusion of decorative light details to delight guests and provide a subtle backdrop for the whole room. We owe a lot to the Carnival crew, the cabin manufacturer, and the guests who inspired us. The end result is a shared success that reflects and builds on the conversations we had with them all.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER)

Class 800 series -high speed train

New interior vision and development

Colour, material and finish

Industrial design

Prototyping

Virtual reality

Working with all of the relevant stakeholders, DCA developed the dress covers from initial sketches right through to production samples.

Human Factors and Usability

Our designs must delight, provide comfort and be intuitive in everyday operation. They must deliver safety and reassurance at moments of crisis. We need to cater for special needs groups, and help operating staff deliver excellent levels of service.

At the start of a project, we integrate the ergonomic requirements from all relevant regulations and standards with best practice methodologies to create a comprehensive human factors specification. Our human factors specialists then combine theoretical tools such as task analysis and error analysis with anthropometric data and practical rig based techniques to assess the developing design solutions against this specification, making the human element a central part of our design process.

Computer based assessments of 2D geometry are used initially to ensure that even the earliest concepts take account of the physical environment and usability issues.

Close and continual collaboration with the design and engineering team throughout the project ensures that opportunities for enhancing the ergonomic aspects of the design are identified and acted upon. This helps us optimise transport environments for the humans that inhabit them, while at the same time maximising the performance of the wider system.

Our work in this area frequently culminates in a formal ergonomic report demonstrating regulatory and contractual compliance.

Transportation projects are about people. Nowhere are the ergonomic demands more challenging or more diverse, ranging from the macro ergonomic issues of passenger flow and capacity to the detailing of individual touch points.

Dan Jenkins explains the development of the Hitachi Class 800/801 train – part of the Intercity Express Programme

Inclusive design

Article by Dan Jenkins Senior Skill Leader Human Factors and Usability

Inclusive design involves designing products so they are capable of being used by as many people as possible, regardless of their size or physical ability. Often very subtle design changes can have a profound impact on the usability of the product for some members of the public, and make the difference between a task being achievable or not. For public transport, inclusive design is of clear importance. For those with very specific mobility requirements, such as wheelchair users, the design can completely remove a barrier to entry. For others, subtle differences in the arrangement and layout of the train can be enough to provide increased independence through the confidence to be able to travel safely and comfortably.

Inclusive design has been at the heart of the design of the new Hitachi Class 800/801train – part of the Intercity Express Programme*. Developing a more inclusive train for passengers involves designing a train that can be used by as wide a range of the population as possible. The design needs to account for reduced

mobility (e.g. wheelchair users and passengers with difficulty walking) as well as sensory impairments (e.g. visually impaired passengers) to ensure the train is not only accessible, but also provides its users with independence. For drivers, an emphasis is placed on optimising task performance. This involves creating a comfortable, controlled environment that allows drivers to remain focused and respond quickly and correctly to unexpected events.

Approach

As with all design projects, the cost of design change increases significantly as the project approaches the final build phase. Accordingly, it was important that opportunities to optimise the design of the class 800/801 train were identified and addressed as early in the design process as possible. The Human Factors work that helped to inform some of that design optimisation can be summarised into seven core stages:

Published in The Ergonomist

1. a review of all relevant standards and guidelines relating to human requirements and performance (e.g. PRM TSI, TSI, LOC & PAS TSI, Group standards, contractual documents) to extract key requirements

2. the development of additional requirements based on analysis of the train user population

3. a desk-based assessment of initial train design using 2D drawings and 3D CAD models

4. the design, build and evaluation of low fidelity mock ups (spatial arrangements based on card and paper)

5. evaluation of full scale ergonomic mock ups (dimensionally accurate low fidelity finish)

6. evaluation of high fidelity full sized model (representative fit and finish)

7. documentation of compliance.

Passenger areas

The passenger areas of a train should be designed so that they provide a safe, accessible and welcoming environment. This includes the saloon areas as well as the more dedicated interior spaces such as the toilets, bike storage and luggage stacks. At the most basic level, inclusive train design involves considering the movement about the train. This involves factoring in the door arrangements, the location of handrails and handholds and the spacing of seats. Colour, material and finish (CMF) also has a clear role to play. Contrast between adjacent surfaces is crucial for allowing those with visual impairments to locate doors, and their controls, and safely navigate step thresholds as well as safety critical elements such

as handholds and emergency call buttons. The way information is presented is also of clear importance, particularly where the ability to read English text is certainly not guaranteed.

From a practical perspective, the Technical Standard for Persons with Reduced Mobility (PRM TSI) provides useful guidance to ensure that the design meets the requirements of a wide range of the population. Fortuitously for those designing trains, much of this guidance is clearly defined and measurable (e.g. toilet door controls shall be between 8001200m above floor level). Elements of the design that are objectively defined in this manner can be readily assessed using drawings and CAD models.

For other more subjective requirements (e.g. ability to wash hands from toilet seat), conclusive demonstration using a drawing is more challenging. These requirements are often better demonstrated with a full- sized mock-up of the train which could be explored by a wide range of users and stakeholders. In the case of the Class 800/801 project, this included a wide range of passenger representatives, such as cyclists groups, passengers with visual impairments, and wheelchair users. Mock- up based assessments (spatial ergonomic mock-up and high fidelity mockup) were conducted to evaluate all aspects of train usage, including the suitability of the luggage provision and ensuring that bikes could be efficiently moved from the platform to the storage area. Feedback was also sought from staff representatives and unions. Additional evaluations of the mock-up assessed the ease of moving through the train with a catering trolley, and the ease of locating and accessing emergency equipment.

The passenger areas of a train should be designed so that they provide a safe, accessible and welcoming environment.

Driver's cab

Inclusive design is also critical for the design of the train cab. While the user population for train drivers differs from that of the general public (e.g. there is no requirement to accommodate drivers in a wheelchair), the population remains relatively diverse. From a physical perspective, this involves explicitly designing for drivers ranging from 1514mm tall (just under 5 foot) to 1869mm (6 foot 2 inches).

The layout of a train cab is critically related to driver performance. At a basic physical level, train drivers need to be able to view primary controls and displays alongside a clear external view of the track ahead – regardless of their stature. These controls also need to be within a comfortable reach. On a cognitive level, drivers need to be able to quickly locate the correct control in order to respond to unfolding events. Accordingly, the cab control layout needs to consider frequency of use, functional grouping (e.g. all engine

controls in one location), left or right hand bias (most the time the left hand will be on the combined power brake controller) and the risk of inadvertent operation.

Early low-fidelity mock-ups, constructed from card with stick on controls, were indispensable in engaging train drivers in the cab design process. Workshops with train drivers allowed cab layouts to be rapidly iterated so that they met user expectations while increasing functional grouping and the sequences of frequent tasks.

Result

Contrary to the beliefs of some, inclusive design is not about designing products for disabled people. Inclusive design is simply good design, as it is design that considers all of its end users. Taking the example of the Universal Access Toilet, the brief was not to design a toilet for disabled users. Rather, the requirement to make the toilet accessible to wheelchair

users was considered in addition to other requirements for creating a pleasant and hygienic environment.

The true integration of the inclusive design requirements has been key to the success of this project. By integrating these requirements early it was possible to arrive upon a balanced design without the appearance of bolt on mobility aids. Some of the personal highlights of the project came from working with passenger representatives. The importance of the work was made clear upon hearing a 15-year old wheel chair user describe how he loved the layout of the universal access toilet as demonstrated in an ergonomic mock-up as, unlike many other toilets he was used to, he would be able to use the toilet alone without the assistance of his parents.

Hitachi Rail Europe

Class 800 series high speed train

Passenger and Driver's Cab Interiors

Usability and HF

Mechanical engineering

Industrial design

Interior design

Prototyping

Testing and evaluation

Production support

Hitachi Rail Europe

Class 800 series high speed train

Toilet modules

Usability and HF

Mechanical engineering

Industrial design

Interior design

Prototyping

Testing and evaluation

Production support

DCA delivers EMR ergonomic mock up and HF reviews safely under Covid restrictions

Article by Paul Rutter Transport Sector Manager

Throughout 2020, despite the difficult working environment caused by the pandemic, DCA has been very busy safely designing and mocking up new trains destined to run on UK railways in the near future. Although public transport has been hit particularly hard by travel and working restrictions, plans are well on the way to provide new high speed trains built by Hitachi for East Midlands Railways and Avanti West Coast services.

The restrictions in place have not stopped us working in our large build facility close to the centre of Warwick, enabling a range of design and human factors studies to take place. Hitachi are in the final stages of the process to validate the design of the driver’s cab for the new Class 810 BMU

trains. These high speed bi-mode trains can operate self-powered by on-board diesel generators or from overhead electric power lines. This flexibility extends their useful operating range and provides an efficient and sustainable solution as part of an overall strategy to move towards a low CO2 electric future.

DCA has supported the engineering team at Hitachi in Pistoia, Italy throughout the design process, actively engaging in the design of the driver’s cab, ensuring that from an operational and human factors view point it meets all the latest requirements. A key part of the process was designing and building a full size ergonomic mock up of the cab. With our usual steel framework suppliers in lockdown, we had to

design a lightweight composite wood supporting structure that we then built ourselves in-house. The exterior of the cab was not a visual requirement for the HF process and was left as a nominal surface design that the proposed EMR livery was applied to. The key exterior components that impact upon the HF performance of the cab, like the windscreen and wiper, the access steps and cab side door were accurately replicated and proven during driver trials. Inside, the driver’s desk is a visual facsimile of the proposed final design and was used by drivers to review the layout through a series of task analyses, and sign off the position of buttons, switches, and the control HMI (Human Machine Interface) including the use of CCTV and digital displays. And all this was achieved under a series of new procedures and working practices, aligned with the Government’s Covid guidelines and designed to protect the safety of our staff and our visitors from Hitachi and EMR, including the drivers taking part in the HF reviews.

The design process has involved collaboration at each step on the way from inception through design development, human factors assessment and detail engineering. Wherever possible, particularly during the early stages, the project was coordinated through virtual meetings on-line. Once the mock up took shape and needed to be physically assessed and reviewed, a Covid secure meeting space was set up in our large build facility to allow face to face meetings and HF trials to take place. These required safe physical distancing and the implementation of appropriate control measures such as screens, hand sanitising and face coverings. This has allowed the HF validation process to continue, engaging representatives from all interested parties, including Hitachi, EMR, the Driver’s Counsel, union representatives and the drivers themselves, with mock up to agree and sign off the design outcomes.

Mechanical Engineering

DCA’s engineers work side-by-side with our design team to ensure that while our designs remain true to the original creative intent, they are functional, durable and costeffective. We continually research manufacturing processes, materials and technologies to support these aspirations and ensure we can deliver the experience as designed.

Vision is worth little without execution. DCA’s experienced engineering team means we can drive our designs through to market without compromise - be it on functionality, fitness for purpose, robustness or aesthetic intent.

Quantum Seating

M100 Range Regional Seat

Lightweight Standard Class rail seat

Design research

Mechanical engineering

Industrial design

Visual brand language

Usability and HF

Percy Lane Products

SSL Detrainment System

Emergency detrainment steps

Usability and HF

Mechanical engineering

Prototyping

Testing and evaluation

Production support

Westinghouse

Platform screen doors for Jubilee line

Industrial design

Colour, material and finish

Interior design

Visualisation and animation

Engineering

Production support

Prototyping and Evaluation

In-house models and mock ups.

We are rare amongst design consultancies in being able to build scale models, large ergonomic rigs and full size visual mock ups in-house using our own model making team.

This gives us unrivalled levels of flexibility, responsiveness and control during the production of your models, rigs, prototypes and mock ups. And this is backed up by the experience, skill and attention to detail of our dedicated workshop team.

VolkerFitzpatrick

Cross Rail

Training mock-up for Crossrail

Mechanical engineering

Production support

Prototyping

Testing and evaluation

Virtual Reality and Visualisation

We are working with the latest Oculus and HTC Vive platforms to visualise rendered 3D CAD environments as personal virtual reality experiences. Users can explore the proposed design in VR and gain a real sense of how they will interact with it, even during the relatively early stages of development.

Incorporating VR technology intelligently into a development programme can improve the detailed understanding and assessment of the design before mock ups are built. This in turn can mean fewer physical mock ups and fewer mock up modifications are required.

Generating photorealistic renderings, animations and virtual reality (VR) experiences throughout the design process provides the project stakeholders with a highly accessible and engaging view of how a design is developing.

Zoeftig

Vista modular seating system

Engineering and visual design

Design research

Industrial design

Visual brand language

Mechanical engineering

Model making

Usability and HF

Electronic Engineering

Our software and electronics specialists work alongside our mechanical engineers and designers in multidisciplinary teams to deliver complex electro mechanical systems.

The challenge with such systems is making them robust, reliable and future proof without overengineering and introducing unnecessary complexity or cost.

Our approach is to balance theory, simulation and analysis with producing physical test rigs and prototypes at appropriate points in the development cycle to reduce project risk while keeping the development timescales and budget lean.

The integration of electronic hardware and software plays an increasingly important role in transportation solutions.

Electro-mechanical design and construction

Mechanical engineering

Industrial design

Colour, material and finish

Production support

Froude Hoffman Robot Driver

FiveAI

Autonomous vehicle sensor

mounting and enclosure

Design and construction of 5 prototype road vehicles

Exterior styling

Industrial design

Mechanical engineering

Production support

Prototyping

Testing and evaluation

Virtual Reality

The ever-increasing ability to connect systems and devices together is presenting new challenges, as well as creating entirely new service opportunities. Understanding how smart devices can interact securely with each other is the key to

successfully adding connectivity to transport products, systems and services. Working closely with our user experience team, we can create proof-of-concept Apps and websites in parallel with the electronics hardware and embedded software.

At DCA, the software and the hardware designs are developed and cross-checked in tandem to ensure a smooth migration to the final hardware solution as it becomes available.

Software Engineering

D-Fly Ltd

Hyperscooter

Multidisciplinary development of Personal Electric Vehicle

Colour, material and finish

Electronic engineering

Electronic hardware

Exterior styling

Industrial design

Mechanical engineering

Prototyping

Software development

Testing and evaluation

Usability and HF

Virtual Reality

Article by R-P Kruizinga Transport Sector Manager & Senior Associate

Since its launch in 2019, the A-Star electric and autonomous shuttle bus has proved to be a very successful product for Xiamen Golden Dragon. Just before the Chinese New Year in 2021, it reached the impressive milestone of 1,500 units sold.

The idea for a zero-emissions and autonomous passenger shuttle was born from a collaborative design project between DCA and Golden Dragon. Having explored several ideas for future vehicles, the project focused on an electric, autonomous shuttle bus that would answer the demands raised by incoming environmental legislation and trends in urban planning and traffic management in China. At the time of its launch, the A-Star was the first of its kind, offering a zero-emissions solution to reduce urban congestion and pollution by transporting people between transport hubs and car parks outside of high-density urban areas such as city centres, business parks and tourist sites.

Today, the A-Star is in operation in many cities in China and beyond, and has won several awards. Competitors have tried to replicate the success of this transportation format, but the A-Star has remained the leading product in the market segment it helped to create.

The flexible architecture means that Golden Dragon has been able to use the A-Star as a development platform, constantly upgrading the drivetrain and autonomous driving systems, moving towards the goal of full autonomy.

Such modularity also means that the vehicle can be ordered in many different configurations, catering for the needs of specific regions or operators. There are even versions being used as food trucks in tourist sites where vehicles with internal combustion engine are not allowed to enter.

DCA designed electric and autonomous A-Star shuttle bus passes 1,500 milestone

Xiamen Golden Dragon

A-Star

A-Star autonomous electric vehicle

Interior and exterior design

Usability and HF

Industrial design

Interior design

Testing and evaluation

Brush and Bombardier

Le Shuttle trains for Eurotunnel

Driver’s cab, single and double deck vehicle carriages

Industrial design

Colour, material and finish

Interior design

Prototyping

Exterior styling

Usability and HF

Bombardier Transportation

M6 double deck train for SNCB

Interior layout and design of double deck passenger saloons

Design research

Usability and HF

Industrial design

Colour, material and finish

Interior design

Prototyping

Testing and evaluation

Production support

CAF

C4K train for Northern Ireland Railways

Passenger interiors and cab exterior livery

Industrial design

Colour, material and finish

Interior design

Livery design

Zoeftig

Contact module seating system

Engineering and visual design

Design research

Industrial design

Visual brand language

Mechanical engineering

Model making

Usability and HF

Productionisation

Are you sitting comfortably?

Does your chair ask you whether you are sitting comfortably? It may seem futuristic but the technology is available to monitor an occupant’s comfort in a seat and automatically adjust the lumbar support, back rest angle or head rest height, for instance, to provide real time posture control.

Article by Dominic Hargreaves Senior Sector Manager

We know that sitting isn't always the optimum experience for your health and that we need to stretch and exercise our muscles but this often isn't realistic, especially when you are travelling. Most of us usually wait until our back lets us know that we are doing damage though aches and pains before we do anything proactively to improve our seated comfort. We are even less likely to readjust our seat geometry to properly suit the demands of individual activities. In any case, it is often challenging to determine what combination of the multitude of available adjustments

is actually going to achieve your personal optimal set-up. The “one size fits all” mentality adopted for the majority of seat designs now feels like an out-of-date concept. Now, whether you are travelling in a car, a plane or a train, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve your comfort, posture and health.

When setting out to design a chair, one of the first considerations is how the seat should feel. The received wisdom is that a seat should be soft for initial engagement, then firmer for the long haul. The basis of this approach is that when you first sit down you want to feel that initial embrace of the cushion (softness) and then as you relax into the journey, your seat needs to feel supportive in your optimum position (firmer) with a degree of flexibility providing the ability to shift your position slightly to

relieve local pressure points or discomforts. This combination of softness, support and flexibility is what provides the comfort factor. There are great examples of welldesigned wooden chairs that can be surprisingly comfortable due to the natural give of this material when you initially sit down, the firm support after this initial contact, and the natural spring or flexibility when you move around.

The concept of dynamic comfort is one where a seat adapts in real time to provide support where it is needed and adjusts over the length of journey to maintain a constant level of comfort over time. Harnessing the power of machine learning to process the inputs from a range of sources including pressure sensors and posture recognition software, we are benchmarking and developing new seats that provide this all important dynamic comfort factor.

The key step is to correlate real-time AI learning with seat movement to build a chair that makes micro-adjustments on the fly to keep your body comfortable in the optimum seated position.

It is no longer just luxury top of the range cars that offer a seat memory function to automatically return the seat to your pre-selected preferred settings. But how can a user be sure that these settings are actually optimal for them, and are the same settings always the most suitable in all situations? With AI there is now an opportunity to monitor the user’s behaviour in their seat and dynamically adjust the seat’s settings using the electrically powered adjustment mechanisms already provided on these seats.

The combinations of human body structure, weight, size and other physical variables, not to mention our own individual views on what we perceive as comfortable, are seemingly endless. So currently, compromises have to be made when designing seating to meet set constraints like a given seat height and width or a range of target user percentiles from 5% female to 95% male physiques. The aim of dynamic comfort is to avoid these compromises and get the chair to automatically and unobtrusively adjust to suit the user’s physique, posture and task, optimising your comfort level to suit your own personal preferences, while not irritating you through a constant series of microadjustments.

The automotive industry has now introduced seats that stiffen the bolsters when you are taking a corner at speed. This is a specific, controlled scenario but it shows the potential of automated control. We believe that AI can be harnessed, in conjunction with pressure sensors and posture recognition algorithms, to control seat adjustments in a practical and effective way to create seats with dynamic comfort features that deliver real comfort benefits for users.

Designing seats to actively look after your back and posture better than you could yourself must be an adjustment in the right direction.

The technology is available to monitor an occupant’s comfort in a seat and automatically adjust the lumbar support, back rest angle or head rest height, for instance, to provide real time posture control.

Our Location

We work globally from our campus of offices, studios and workshops in the historic town of Warwick, UK. We are located in the heart of the UK with easy road, rail and air transport links.

From Birmingham International Airport

Travel time 25 minutes

From London Heathrow Airport Travel time 1 hour 30 minutes

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