Further With Ford in The Car Simulation Machine #GoFurther

A few months ago I went to Detroit the car capital of our nation to meet with Ford for their Go Further press event. Here they invite over 200 members of the press including bloggers to show them where Ford is headed and how they plan to get there. Overall I was very impressed with Ford as a company for their innovative ideas and green consciousness. One of the ways they test out the spacing and feel of their cars is in the simulation machine.

I had the opportunity to sit in the simulator and I loved it. They moved the seat so that I was comfortable and I put on the HUGE head gear and glasses and suddenly I was in the car. I started reaching out to touch things that weren’t really there. The car door was fully furnished and my seat looked like it was covered in leather. The seat next to me was suddenly empty so I reached out to touch it, completely forgetting that the Ford employee was sitting next to me. I heard everyone in the room laughing, and realized what I was doing. While I was in the car they asked me if I wanted to get in the back seat and explore that too, I was confused at first knowing the car only had front seats, all I had to do was stay in the front seat, they flipped a switch and suddenly I was in the back seat. The simulator really gives you an idea of how much space is going to be in the car. I LOVED IT.

I’ve read on Ford.com that they use the simulator for more than just spatial awareness. They also let potential customers use the simulator to provide feedback to the engineers for things like, in-dash display on the Focus Electric. I wanted to take my simulation for a drive but we ran out of time and had to go off to the next session.

Ford covered my travel expenses to attend the Go Further With Ford Trend Conference.