Analyzing the Size and the Characteristics of Korean Ear for the Ergonomic Design of Ear Related Products

인간공학적 귀 관련 제품설계를 위한 한국인의 귀의 치수 및 특성 분석

It is known that the human stature and its related dimensions generally increase until the late teens or early twenties, remain relatively constant throughout early adulthood, and decline from early-to-middle adulthood into old age. However, there is exception that the length of the human ears, which continue to grow throughout life. In this study, 600 Korean male and female subjects aging from 17 to 89 were selected. Four different points of external ears including Pinna length, ear connection point length, Concha length, and Lobule thickness were measured along with other relative subjects' demographic data(e.g., age, stature, weight) to determine the relationship among these obtained data. The results showed that the age, sex, and different ethnic populations were functions of ear dimensions similar to the human stature. For example, the Pinna length increases as the age increases(r= 0.689, p<0.00l). The primary objective of this study was thus to provide anthropometric dimensions of Korean ear for the product designers and recommend the appropriate product design solutions in relation to human ear. Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that the continuing growth of the human body parts should be considered in the application of anthropometric data to the design of the things especially for human use.