Importance of Human Anthropometry in the Interior Development of Autonomous Vehicles

Currently autonomous driving is one of the dominant trends in the automotive industry. Cars that no longer need the driver's attention will be used in a completely new way than is currently the case. Fully autonomous driving would allow drivers to participate in the so called "non-driving secondary activities". In the future the car would be a place to work, a place to socialize, to relax, to meditate, spend quality time with the family, take a nap, and a whole lot more. The autonomous driving vehicle would be more of a living space, rather than just a mode of transportation. In order to facilitate these non-driving activities, the interior of the vehicle and the vehicle seats would be reconfigured and redesigned differently, as compared to the conventional vehicle interiors until now. Given the fact that the space available within a classical vehicle is limited, a lot of importance needs to be given to human anthropometry. In order to offer optimal space and comfort, the interior of the vehicle needs to be flexible and needs to be adaptable and customizable to the anthropometry of the occupant. The paper helps to understand the importance of human anthropometry in the design and development of the vehicle seating and seating configuration. Discussed in the paper are potential advantages, if human anthropometry is used as a parameter in the design and development of the interior of autonomous driving cars.