Promoting Mobility

The original equipment manufacturer (OEM) mandate to create enhanced-mobility vehicles is not completely new. In 1999, Ford developed the Third-Age Suit as a hands-on research tool to help ergonomics engineers understand firsthand the physical limitations of senior-aged customers. The high-tech, astronaut-looking, full-body suit ages the wearer by 30 years via materials that add bulk and restrict movement in key areas such as the knees, elbows, stomach, and back.

Together with gloves that reduce the sense of touch and goggles that simulate cataracts, Ford's Third-Age Suit gives engineers and designers a realistic feel for the vehicular needs of the older drivers.

Data gathered from the suit proved helpful in the early design process of Ford vehicles like the Mercury Monterey Minivan. The research led to features such as a standard fold-in-the-floor third-row seat, front and rear parking-assist sensors, power sliding doors with easy-to-grip release handles, one-hand-folding second-row seats, power liftgate, and adjustable pedals, to name but a few.

However, the biggest strides in mobility systems have been in the development of more highly attractive vehicles that don't exhibit their accessibility modifications and higher-tech electronics that allow for voice activation of controls where hand/lever operation was required. The Braun wheelchair and scooter-lift systems can disappear within the interiors of many SUVs, blending ease of use with total covert operation. The IMS Entervan and Toyota Sienna IMS Ramp Van system boast ramps rendered invisible by sporty side skirting. These sleek vans actually put their standard minivan cousins to shame in terms of an overall appearance that's light years ahead of the more stereotypical full-size vans, which in the past were required to transport those needing ramps and/or wheelchair and scooter-lift ability.

In fact, the development of the new Toyota Sienna is a solid example of just how much has changed with regard to mobility-adaptable vehicles. The previous-generation Sienna was incompatible with wheelchair access simply because the side door wasn't big enough to accept a wheelchair. When designing the all-new Sienna for 2004, Toyota engineers actually considered this shortcoming and enlarged the entry. The new IMS Rampvan conversion takes this access one step further, allowing the side door to slide back an additional three inches to provide clearance for standard wheelchairs. (While the side-door opening is large enough, the side door itself on the standard Sienna partially blocks the door opening).