Marines spend hours at a time driving around on missions in mine-resistant ambush-protected, or MRAP, vehicles. These trucks need to be functional, comfortable, and safe.
A Navy team of engineers and scientists are designing MRAP vehicle interiors by combining engineering skills with "Human Systems Integration," a process by which products are designed based on the needs and abilities of the people using them. So human factors such as hearing, sight, emotions, and intelligence are considered by the design team to build the best model.
"Engineering is about commonsense and practical stuff," says mechanical engineer Molly McShane. "It's also about imagining what could be possible."