Anthropometrics 101
The Pacific Cycle Dodge Charger Police Interceptor debuts at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show.
Police Interceptor Ride-on Toy
M3 Design and Pacific Cycle used some [applied] Design Thinking to translate the Dodge Charger Police Interceptor into a compelling and engaging ride-on toy experience for children.
Wisconsin based Pacific Cycle wanted to extend their line of Kid Trax powered ride-on toys with a pint-sized version of a Dodge Charger Police Interceptor. You might think that this is as simple as scaling the full-sized version down, but it wouldn’t take too long to realize that using that approach would result in some very unhappy children. Those controls and especially the seats get mighty small in a hurry.
This called for some M3 [applied] design thinking in the form of advanced anthropometric analysis. Anthropometrics is the study of the human form and how it relates to the world around it. How does this relate to a child’s ride-on toy, you ask? Simple enough.
The application of anthropometrics in this case involves the analysis necessary to both scale the Dodge Charger to a suitable size and keep the controls and seating proportional to the child operator, while at the same time maintaining the “look and feel” of an authentic full-sized vehicle.
The result is a design that delights the child driver and can also convince the adult owner into believing its a mini-Charger. Check out the debut at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show if you need any more convincing!
