After GM announced its R2 space robot, how long could it be before the Blue Oval had something futuristic to show off? Ford recently introduced Santos, a new virtual-reality stress-testing digital man.
Santos, derived from the Department of Defense's Virtual Soldier Research program, is Ford's next stage of virtual work assistance. He works in a simulated Ford factory and measures the effects of real-world stress by combining a "complete biomechanical muscular system" with "predictive dynamics".
Ford ergonomics technical specialist Allison Stephens thankfully explains it in layman's terms: