Improvement and validation of the VIVA+ Human Body Model for assessment of high-speed boat suspension seats

Research Project, 2025

Operating high-speed boats exposes the operators and crew to complex loading that can result in impact-induced injuries. Common injuries are those to the spine and muscles and these often result in permanent disabilities. Suspension seats have been introduced to reduce the risk of these injuries. However, prospective seat assessment protocols and tools to be used in these protocols are currently lacking and is the focus of this project.

In this project high-speed boat data are further processed for inclusion in a journal manuscript. In addition, the VIVA+ Finite Element Human Body Model (FE-HBM) is validated using the forementioned data. The model will also be exercised to support the design of a prospective suspension seat assessment method. Finally, this project aim at developing a data analysis tool that merges high-speed boat exposure data and operators and crew pain data. This data are currently collected in a large scale and intranational NATO study. This tool will likely provide data that can be used in an evaluation of the injury predicting capacity of the VIVA+ model. 

Expected results include a publication of high-speed boat data. Make the VIVA+ the preferred tool for prospective evaluations of high-speed boat suspension seats. A draft data analysis tool for analysis of high-speed boat exposure data with matched boat operators pain data.