DESIGN ERGONOMICS OF THE BAJA VEHICLE

By
Shankar narayanan K H and sashankajyoti kashyap ( design ergonomics team)
ESSENTIALS OF AN ERGONOMIC DESIGN TO BE KEPT IN MIND:
Drivers line of sight
Visible instrument cluster
Controls within easy reach of the driver
Seat angle and its back angle
Driver safety and comfort
Thigh and back support(preferable with additional padding in this regions)
The baja event is an off road event with forces on the drivers body acting constantly with constant
shocks transferred to him. The previous vehicle ergonomics did not meet the required standards for
a good ergonomic design, the primary ergonomic design flaws in the earlier design are as follows.
High seat angles for a low seating posture
Minimum leg room with no space for thigh rest
Gear lever positioning not within drivers proper reach and divers arm intersects with legs if
properly seated and causes hindrance in changing gears.
The instrument panel in partially visible and also blocks a part of line of sight.
Positioning of the brake pedals is not according to the passenger driving standards.
Steering is too close to the face with a higher inclination.
Cramped interiors and very less leg room offered.
Driving such a vehicle will put the driver into a physical test rather than allowing him to focus on the
driving.
Each of this areas were worked any corrections were made in areas which demanded a change for
sure in order to meet the minimal standards of driver comforts.
Widen the space between the seat and the pedals to 108 cm from seat centre( keeping in
view the cars low G.C i20,maruti Zen, corolla altis and Mahindra bolero camper.(high G.C))
The instrument cluster to be shifted to the sides left and right or even to one side preferably
right side ( a design change adopted from Punjab college of engineering s vehicle)
The seat must be given additional padding in thigh region and also inclination adjusted to
110 degrees with the horizontal. (a standard bucket seat might be a better option which
reduces further changes to be made)
Steering inclination to be around 40 to 47 degrees with the horizontal and it must have a
distance of 4 cm from legs and above the axis of brake pedal and parallely inclined to it.
Steering to be positioned 46 cm away from the face of the driver in his best seating position
without helmet so as to provide required clearance with helmet on.
The gear knob should be 27 cm away from the steering centre and 13 cm behind it.
A hand brake and a rear view mirrors are additional option which will enhance driving
features and will complete the cars design in terms of all driving essentials.