Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

Centennial College is working with Horstman Systems that has developed a range of electronically controlled active and semi-active vehicle suspension systems that drastically reduce the shocks occupants experience over uneven terrain. The active suspension technology has been applied to seats for vehicles experiencing high levels of shock such as off-road land vehicles, marine rescue boats in rough seas, and aircraft or helicopters in heavy turbulence and hard landing events. The reduced shock may substantially reduce the incidences of spinal and other physical injuries experienced by the occupant. When mounted in certain vehicles such as boats or aircraft, the seat may experience some use cases that are not commonly encountered by land vehicles. One of these is the freefall, for example in the case of a boat being dropped into the water from a larger vessel, or a helicopter experiencing a hard landing due to engine failure. Horstman has made improvements to the control algorithms using simulation, but the software must be tested and validated in real life using controlled drop tests. The proposed project will involve Centennial College designing and constructing a drop test rig designed to simulate the free fall event for a single seat. A series of drop tests will then be conducted to validate active controller performance and allow for any modifications to control parameters as needed.