For my undergraduate engineering capstone project, I chose to participate in the University of Michigan Precision Systems Design Laboratory‘s (PSDL) Active Seat System project. This sponsored project explored the creation of a seat to be actively controlled for use in autonomous vehicles to mitigate motion sickness. Our team reviewed research regarding the problem, crafted requirements and specifications for the system, generated and selected a concept, and proposed a design.
To determine our design, we conducted rigorous analysis of the system. Sensitivity analysis was performed on our concept evaluation criteria. Finite element and analytical models were developed in parallel to characterize the stresses and displacements produced during loading. Various materials and geometric configurations were analyzed. Component interfaces were mapped and interfacing methods were compared. Alignment and retention for each component was considered and a tolerance stack was created.