Integration of 3D Anthropometry in Computer Aided Design

Abstract: 

The human body is a complex shape with many variations of which a thorough understanding is needed in order to design wearable products, like protective gear, head-sets, sports clothing, and orthotics, that are both functional and ergonomic. Current design approaches, relying only on 1D anthropometry and unrealistic, linearly scaled ISO-mannequins, require many prototyping and testing iterations. With the uprising of 3D scanning technology, however, an enormous amount of 3D data becomes available for the product developer. Unfortunately, it is not yet clear how this wealth of information can be leveraged for improving their products. The CADANS project will tackle this problem.

CADANS Technology & Innovation: In this project, state-of-the-art processing techniques are employed to structure 3D-scan databases into 3D statistical anthropometric models that provide a concise parameterization of the 3D human body shape with anthropometric parameters. These models are then made available to the product developer in standard CAD-software where they can be used for:

  • quantitative and qualitative exploration of 3D shape and size variation within a target population;
  • devising product and target-group specific sizing systems, e.g. one-size-fits-all or N-sizes-fit-all (See figure);
  • dynamic linking of CAD designs to 3D shape models for easy mass-customization of the product.

For more information, visit the CADANS website.

Research Area: