Beyond Percentiles: An Examination of Occupant Anthropometry and Seat Design

Size is one of the most basic and important factors when determining fit for people. Many methods used to test occupant fit and accommodation rely on a traditional set of three different sized manikins - 5th, 50th and 95th percentiles. Anthropometry, the study of human size dimensions, however, is a complex multivariate problem. Real people, real drivers are a mixture of dimensions tall thin, short, stout, etc. This paper examines population anthropometry and these traditional percentiles specific to vehicular seat design.