In order to ensure the comfort of passengers of all heights in the new Micra, Nissan has conducted a series of unique tests, including cabin space testing.
Lee Griggs, senior engineer for human engineering at the Nissan European Technical Centre (NTCE) in Cranfield, UK, said, “It’s a very simple idea. We select NTCE colleagues of various sizes and take 40 different measurements from each of them, recording everything from height and sitting eye position to arm and leg length. The tallest NTCE employee is around 200cm (6ft 7) while the shortest is 152cm (4ft 11).
“It means we always have at least 200 real people we can call on at short notice to validate our latest ideas or changes. Of course, we have internal standards to work to, but real-world human feedback is every bit as vital.”
Using the latest high definition cameras and eye-tracking technology during development, NTCE engineers were able to establish exactly which areas of the dashboard and instruments drivers were looking at and for how long. This data helped to finalise the vehicle’s overall interior design.
February 21, 2017
