AWARE2ALL tackling inclusive occupant safety challenges

The main objective of AWARE2ALL is to address the new safety challenges posed by the introduction of automated vehicles in mixed road traffic, through the development of inclusive and innovative safety (passive and active) and HMI (internal and external) systems that will consider underrepresented populations (female, elderly, cultural minorities, with sensorial or physical disabilities, low digital abilities.

With the advent of autonomous vehicles, new safety risks are added to the safety discourse of road vehicles, especially in mixed traffic (AVs interacting with Human Driven Vehicles), among others: component failures, increased risk-taking, unconventional seating position and occupant postures, increased vehicle travel, interaction with Vunerable Road Users.

Whilst the relaxed seating environments in AVs offer better comfort than conventional vehicles, the new seating arrangements may pose an increased risk to the safety of occupants in case of collision. Moreover, the safety of disabled occupants can not be overlooked as they may have unique requirements and challenges for effective restraint systems. Furthermore, the added comfort of a more spacious occupant cabin indirectly reduces the space available for crash mitigation structures, thereby providing further challenges to effectively manage the collision energy for optimal operation of integrated restraint systems.

To address these challenges, while maintaining current type approval requirements for safety, AWARE2All uses the German Aerospace Centre’s (DLR) Next Generation Car, Urban Modular Vehicle PeopleMover (UMV PM) for virtual testing of  a wholly inclusive approach to occupant safety, utilizing latest developments of virtual Human Body Models and Anthropometric Test Devices.

Source: The original article was published here