Ford has used an artificial backside to simulate 10 years worth of wear and tear on the new Fiesta seats.
“Robutt” can replicate a human’s rump entering and exiting the new Fiesta’s seats 25,000 times in three weeks.
Those prone to sweating when exercising are the target of the Robutt’s rigorous testing regime, which uses a robotic arm to repeatedly press and rub an metallic mould, complete with warm water seeping from a sleeve to simulate sweat, into the seats of the new Fiesta.
The action includes twisting movements to get out of the car and bouncing motions to replicate getting into the seat, while also providing the rubbing effects of a perspiring posterior driving the car.
It performs this sequence 7500 times, and is based on the dimensions of “a large man” according to Ford of Europe, with the Robutt heated to 36 degrees Celsius and saturated with nearly half a litre of water.
Durability engineer Svenja Fröhlich says the Kuka robot which performs the testing, allows for high-level research and development.
“Previously, we used pneumatic cylinders that simply moved up and down. With the ‘Robutt’, we are now able to replicate very accurately how people really behave,” she explains.
“Using pressure mats, we can map out the exact press pattern of a person’s sitting behaviour and use this information to prepare four our unique durability test,” Fröhlich says.
“The new Fiesta seats are one of the most tested elements on the car,” she adds.
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