MRI: Acquision of Human Dimensioning Equipment for Product Development

0321172

LaBat

Many products designed for human use require 'good fit' to perform successfully. Good fit implies approximation of the product to body dimensions improving comfort, performance, and safety of products from automobiles, to clothing, to medical devices. Traditional anthropometric methods (tape measure, calipers, anthropometer) have been used for years to capture dimensions of the body. Inaccuracies and missing data limit the usefulness of this information. New technologies including body scanning and motion analysis equipment are now available; however, their effectiveness is limited without direct application to product development. To add to the knowledge base for the improvement of product development technologies, new methods of using body dimensioning equipment, evaluating resulting data, and incorporating results into products are necessary.

The objective of establishing the Human Dimensioning Laboratory (HDL) is to provide an innovative research and learning facility that will result in new methods of incorporating human dimensions in the development of wearable products. The HDL will provide equipment for a multidisciplinary team to measure the static and dynamic human form, map the body/product interface, and produce and test prototypes.