Up, down, forward, back, straight or tilted or down, push button or lever — car seats have a whole range of motions that have to work. A team from Humber College helped to build a system to let auto manufacturers test that range robotically.
The Humber team – faculty members Neal Mohammed and Mohammad Al-Rady, and electromechanical engineering technology students Theodor Willert and Joshua Donnelly-Robertson – worked with industry partner 416 Automation Inc. to build SeatBOT, which eliminates the need for a person to do the functional and electrical tests automotive seats require.
SeatBOT can automatically test buckles on seatbelts, power seat buttons or manual track bars and levers, and any other features of seats in vehicles. Customers now want the SeatBOT as a standard on all test equipment.
The prototype developed with the Humber team is already a huge success for 416 Automation, which has sold five SeatBOTs around the world (two systems are already running in production) and has more clients interested in purchasing the system. It also worked out well for Humber students, who have been hired on at 416 Automation as a result of their participation in this project.
