• IE interfaces
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.105-111
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• 2011

Measurement protocols for hand anthropometry have been studied for ergonomic product design. The present study developed a 3D semi-automatic measurement protocol (3D-SAMP) which semi-automatically measures various hand dimensions using a 3D scanner. The 3D-SAMP was compared with the conventional direct measurement method (DMM) to examine its effectiveness. The 3D-SAMP consists of (1) fabricating a plaster cast of the hand, (2) placing landmarks on the plaster hand, (3) scanning the plaster hand with a 3D scanner, (4) identifying automatically the positions of the landmarks on the digital hand, and (5) extracting automatically hand anthropometric measurements (lengths, widths, thicknesses, and circumferences). An evaluation experiment conducted in the study found the 3D-SAMP preferred to the DMM in terms of reliability (the number of dimensions exceeding the variability criteria SD=2 mm and CV=5% : 3D-SAMP =2 and DMM=24) and ease of measurement (3D-SAMP=5.2 and DMM=4.3 out of 7). The 3D-SAMP can be applied to ergonomic design of a hand-held product.

• The International Journal of Costume Culture
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.19-29
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• 2003

The 3D measurement data expected be useful to give appropriate garment fit and development of MTM(Made-to-Measure) CAD software. The researcher surveyed the need and use of national anthropometric data of the apparel industry. 17 Korean apparel manufacturers participated in the study. The need of anthropometric data at 5 different apparel business sectors was measured: men's suit, women's dress, casual-wear, underwear, and active sportswear. The result of the survey shows that height and bust, waist, hip circumferences are needed by all of the business sectors. The body measurements at the scye and upper arm area were need most by the men's suit manufacturers. The women's foundation garment manufacturers were well prepared for the use of the 3D body scan data and they expected the potential benefits of 3D body scan data would be great. The researcher also conducted a case study and found a pro and con of the using 3D body scan data for apparel product developing process. In the current stage of technical advance, a reasonable method was required to get nude like scan data for the women's foundation garment manufacturer. The researcher concluded that the apparel designer could use the 3D scan data for developing tremendous style garment design and pattern making.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.831-841
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• 2010

Usability evaluation of physical products involves characterizing complex physical interactions between humans and products. Human models known as manikins have been widely utilized as usability evaluation tools for automobile interior package design. When combined with computer-aided design software programs, such manikins can be used to simulate driving postures and evaluate driver-interior fits early in the design process, and therefore, may greatly facilitate achieving high-quality design in a cost-efficient manner. The purpose of this study was to define a set of manikins for designing automobile interior packages for the South Korean male population. These manikins were conceptualized as "boundary" manikins, which represent individuals lacking in certain physical capacities or having usability-related issues (e.g., an individual with the 5th percentile forward reach capability, an individual with the 95th percentile shoulder width). Such boundary manikins can serve as an efficient tool for determining if an automobile interior design accommodates the majority of the population. The boundary manikins were selected from the large sample of Korean males whose anthropometric dimensions were described in the recent Size Korea anthropometric database. For each male in the database, his comfortable driving posture was represented using a kinematic body linkage model and various physical capacity measured and usability-related characteristics relevant to driver accommodation were evaluated. For each such measure, a boundary manikin was selected among the Korean males. The manikins defined in this study are expected to serve as tools for ergonomic design of automobile interior packages. The manikin selection method developed in this study was implemented as a generic software program useful for various product design applications.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.39-46
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• 2005

The purpose of the study is to suggest a methodology for properly categorizing the body type of Koreans based on the multivariate statistical analysis. Anthropometric data used in the study were measured from the sampled strata of about fifteen thousand Koreans surveyed through the 5th national anthropometic data measurement project called Size Korea funded by ATS, Korea, during 2003-2004. In order to categorize whole body types, the normalized anthropometric variables, being divided by its stature, were used for obtaining a set of factors that supposedly represent body types through the factor analysis. These factors, which were again clustered, yielded the body types according to the gender. The body types classified are expected to be applied to product design for clothing, furniture, automobile packaging, etc.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.23-36
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• 2000

In conventional ergonomics, consumer product can be made based on anthropometric data and specific design guideline. However, the product may not satisfy consumers because their emotional preference have not been properly considered in design phase. Therefore, in this study a new chair design process was introduced by which both consumer's emotional need and traditional ergonomic requirement can be satisfied. As a part of the process, the traditional Kansei engineering technique was modified to collect quantitative information of consumer's visual appreciation and physical feedback of various types of chairs. Furthermore, we developed an interface, so called, KADAS(Kamsung Analysis and Design Assistance System), for designers to use the technique in chair design. This software can help designers to understand what should be the most suitable shape in designing items such as seat, back and arm rest, etc. to meet the emotional need of consumers. This software displays the result of modified quantification theory I, and explains how to use the statistics. This study suggested a new approach for ergonomic design incorporated with Kansei Engineering technique. This technique can be also applied to other products by extending the database of KADAS.

• IE interfaces
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• v.16 no.spc
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• pp.144-148
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• 2003

A group of digital human models with various sizes which properly represents a population under consideration is needed in the design process of an ergonomic product in virtual environment. The present study proposes a two-step method which produces a representative group of human models in terms of stature and weight. The proposed method first generates a designated number of pairs of stature and weight within an accommodation range from the bivariate normal distribution of stature and weight of the target population. Then, from each pair of stature and weight, the method determines the sizes of body segments by using 'hierarchical' regression models and corresponding prediction distributions of individual values. The suggested method was applied to the 1988 US Army anthropometric survey data and implemented to a web-based system which generates a representative group of human models for the following parameters: nationality, gender, accommodation percentage, and number of human models.

• Proceedings of the ESK Conference
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• 1998.04a
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• pp.19.1-24
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• 1998

Designers often hesitate to decide the shape, size, and layout of a product. Though ergonomic principles and data are absolutely needed in this process, they don't have enough guidelines to refer. For the refrigerator designers, they also are not convinced of their decision: the vertical position of the freezing and refrigerating rooms, the height of shelves, the shape of door-handle, and etc. To support the refrigerator design, we applied several ergonomic methods to the evaluation of a refrigerator. EMG measurement was used to evaluate the load of user's lumbar muscle. Based upon the experimental EMG data, we developed a model to predict the relative load according to the height of refrigerator shelves. Two different layouts of a refrigerator, R/F and F/R style, were compared with the model. A three-dimenaional motion analysis method was used to evaluate the user's motion of using a refrigerator. Ten door-handles with the different shapes and positions were evaluated by tracking the rotations of the user's arm. Video protocol analysis was used to evaluate the user interface of a control panel in a refrigerator. Finally, we made several ergonomic design guidelines based on the facts found in this research and the anthropometric data of the Korean adults. The results of this study can be applied to the ergonomic design of a refrigerator.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.389-396
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• 2012

Objective: The aim of this study is to design an auto showering system regarding bed type for old people or bedridden patients. Background: The rapid growth concerning the aging population leads to an increase in elderly bedridden patients living in senior care centers and hospitals where care givers have difficulty bathing older people with limited mobility. Method: In this study, a showering equipment for experiment was based on anthropometric and researching existing products. The nozzle position was optimized by showering tests and simulations using showering equipment. Results: The problems regarding the existing products were analyzed and the nozzle position was optimized through showering tests. The number, position, and spraying angle of the nozzle were optimized through showering simulations. The automatic showering system concerning bed type was designed by considering their results. Conclusion: When designing an automatic showering system, the most important design element involves determining the position of nozzle and angle of water injection and the number of nozzles. The system was developed by applying the results through user centered-research. Application: The user centered-research for developing products was applied directly in order to develop automatic baths, showering products etc. Furthermore, it was also available to be applied towards senior friendly products.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.629-636
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• 2011

Objective: The aim of this study is developing an elderly automatic showering system by optimizing nozzle position and angle of water injection on ergonomics approach. Background: The elderly living in nursing home or hospital were increased by an aging population. Helping the elderly on showering is so hard. In addition, the existing showering/bathing systems are not effective because shower pattern of the elderly and washed range of nozzle were not considered. Method: Firstly, basic specification were determined by anthropometric approach. Secondly, position of nozzle and angle of water injection were determined through observation of elderly behavior on showering. And, finally, they were optimized by washing test and showering simulation. Results: On showering importance of body parts were able to analysis through observation of elderly behavior. The position of nozzle and angle of water injection was able to optimize by showering simulation. The automatic showering system was developed by considering their results. Conclusion: The most important technology of developing a showering system is the determining position of nozzle and angle of water injection, number of nozzle. It was developed by applying its results through user centered-research. Application: The user centered-research of developing products was able to apply directly to develop automatic bath, showering products etc. Further more it was available to apply senior friendly products.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.155-161
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• 2014

The objective of this study is to weight analysis portable backpack system of infantry weapon systems for ergonomic design in manual materials handling tasks. For the product design, we analyzed the ergonomic guidelines and status of similar weapon systems by comparing the efficient operation performance provide for the basic data. Result of this study, the relationship between portability and mobility presented for schematic. In the short distance of the short biomechanical criterion, 1-2 hours in the middle of moving psychophysical criterion, 4 hour or more long-distance criterion applied for the physiological criterion for easy of trade-offs that need to be considered. This study suggests for 4 research items for infantry backpack system in manual materials handling tasks. Throughout the result of anthropometric populations, the 5%tile body weight for -0.91kg but 95%tile in 34.17kg considered to be margin for free, easy and efficient operation for the weight margin between portability and mobility in manual materials handling tasks.