Ford's Newest Employee - Santos, the Computerized Avatar

Rob Gillignham
July 13, 2010

Ford constantly strives to bring new technology into their vehicles, whether it's in the form of new safety features, interior design that's enhanced for comfort, or new Apps for the Ford SYNC. Their latest technology, however, is one that will help benefit Ford employees in their manufacturing plants around the country.

This new technology is Santos, a highly realistic computerized avatar, created by the U.S. government's Department of Defense. He was originally created for the Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) program to help reduce physical strain on soldiers. Created at the University of Iowa in conjunction with SantosHuman Inc, he is the result of years of study in modeling, multi-body dynamics and robotics. Now this technology is being applied to test the ergonomics involved in factory work at Ford manufacturing plants.

So what exactly does Santos do? Currently in the testing phase, Santos helps Ford test ergonomics and safety on the assembly line in the virtual world. He does this by simulating motion involved in various tasks, and then recording the actual physical strains of actions such as reaching, lifting and stretching. The purpose of this is to allow Ford to improve quality, safety and ergonomics for the employees in factories before an assembly line can be built. By knowing what kind of strain certain actions are putting on workers, changes can be made in how tasks are performed.

But how can a virtual person do all this? The technology behind Santos uses a concept called predictive dynamics. Predictive dynamics uses general rules of human body movement combined with complex mathematical models to predict human motion in any number of actions in the physical world. By having Santos run through a series of actions that would take place at a Ford plant, he can provide feedback on fatigue, speed, strength and torque of each action. Santos can perform a task, and then inform technicians whether over months or years this action will cause physical problems such as back strain. The technicians can then adjust the task until they find the best method of getting the job done, with causing the least amount of strain for the worker. Also, Santos can execute tasks autonomously and can walk, talk, and answer questions. While "he" is indeed a computer simulation, in some ways it's almost as if he is an actual consultant.

In the past, finding the safest and most ergonomic way to build a vehicle was a trial-and-error process. Now it can be done in the virtual world with the help of Santos, who has been heralded by as a breakthrough in digital modeling. Because he is equipped with a complete biomechanical muscular system, he's subject to all the laws of physics, and can show you in real time what effect different tasks have on the body. This project began development back in 2004, and Ford became involved in 2007. And developing this technology wasn't cheap - the federal government has spent over $10 million, in addition to contributions made by other automotive companies.

Now you might be wondering, if Santos was created to simulate tasks using the muscular structure of a man, what about female employees? After all, the physiology of males and females is somewhat different, and they might put strain on different muscles in different ways. SantosHuman Inc has recently introduced a female avatar, Sophia, who's strength settings are set to match those of the average American female. Whether or not Sophia will join Santos at Ford has yet to be determined.

So next time you visit your Cleveland Ford Dealer, perhaps you'll think about all that is involved in creating the car you drive off the lot. The automotive industry is an ever-changing and exciting field.

AUTHOR BIO: Bob Gillingham is the President and owner of Bob Gillingham Ford, a local Cleveland Ford dealer which sells a variety of new Ford cars and trucks, preowned and Ford classic vehicles.

Source:  Amazines.com