Engineering Anthropometry
Anthropometry is the branch of the human
sciences that deals with human body
measurements: particularly with measurement of
body size, shape, strength and working capacity.
Anthropometrics measurements are a critical
element in equipment and workplace/workspace
design
Utilization of anthropometrics data will enable
designers to accommodate a desired portion of
potential user population in their designs.
In anthropometrics data, it is important to
understand the population (a group of people)
being described.
The basic application of
anthropometrics data in design
There are two types of dimensions that determine what
the design dimensions should be taken:
[Link] dimensions determine the minimum
space required for a human being to perform work
activities in the workplace, such as operating and
maintaining machines and so on.
Clearances are established by the larger people from
the expected user population (e.g., the size of a door
frame is determined by the size of the largest expected
user)
2. Reach dimensions determine the maximum space
allowable for the human being who operates equipment
and are established by the smaller people in the
expected user population (e.g., control height is
determined by accommodating shorter people)
Basic ergonomic design
philosophies
There are three basic design philosophies utilized by
ergonomists as applying anthropometrics data:
1. Design for the average. The problem of designing
for the average is that the design may end up fitting no one,
because no one is average in dimensions. However, the design
for the average philosophy is utilized for designs involving
public facilities.
2. Design for the extremes. The problem of designing
for the extremes is the cost associated with such a design
philosophy. Assuming that an automobile seat is designed to
accommodate the smallest person, would it be feasible for the
largest person to use the vehicle?
3. Design for the range. The most common design
philosophy of the ergonomist is to design for a range of the
population. A typical range of the 5th to 95th percentile of the
population is used. Such a design would be expected to
accommodate 90% of the design population. Design ranges
can be wider or narrower and are typically determined by task
criticality and cost.
Statistical basis of
anthropometry
Assume that the random variable X represents a specific
anthropometrics measure (e.g. seating height) of a certain
population. Assume also that xp is the pth percentile of X.
Then it defines:
P(X xp) = p
as the proportion of the population whose seating height
are equal to or less than xp. That is, “100*p” percent of that
population are of seating height equal to or less than xp.
It is usually assumed that human anthropometrics
characteristics are normally distributed. That is, we can
state that the anthropometrics variable X has a normal
distribution with mean and standard deviation . Then Z
= (X - )/ has a standard normal distribution and we can
rewrite equation as:
P(X xp) = P[(X- )/ (xp-x)/s] = p or P(Z zp) = p
Statistical basis of
anthropometry
where zp = (xp-x)/s values are given in standard normal
probability (often called the Z-dsitribution) table for
value of p (note that the size of the sample for which x
is calculated should be n 30; otherwise, tp and t-
distribution table must be used instead of zp). We can
use zp = (xp-x)/s to write the following equation:
x p = x ± zp s
where :
x = sample mean
s = sample standard deviation
xp = pth percentile value of the variable X
zp = standard normal value corresponding to pth
percentile value of X
Anthropometrics data
There are two types of anthropometrics data
measurements:
1. Structural (static) measurements
These measurements are concerned with the dimensions
of the body segments at stationary positions (not in
motion). They include the body’s contour dimensions
(e.g., stature, sitting height, length of upper arm, hip
breadth) and skeletal dimension (e.g., the distance
between the centers of joints, such as between the hip
and the knee)
2. Functional (dynamic) measurements
These measurements are concerned with the dimensions
of the body segments during physical activities. Examples
are reach envelopes, crawling length and height, kneeling
height, and range of angular movement of joints
Body segments
Determination of the center of mass (or center of gravity)
and weight distribution of the human body and its
segments is needed in human biomechanical assessment
Such data, along with understanding basic mechanics,
are useful in:
1. Design of equipment operated by humans in various
postures
2. Design of workstation (e.g., seats for industrial
workers, vehicle operators and aircraft pilots)
3. Biomechanical applications
The location of the centers of mass (c.m) of body
segments as a percentage of the length of their
corresponding body segments are graphically shown in
Figure 4.3.
Since the mass of each individual body segment
increases with the total body mass increase, the mass of
each segment can be expressed in term of a percentage
of total body mass (Winter, 1990). See Table 4.4 and
Figure 4.4.
Use of anthropometrics data in
design
The procedure for the use anthropometrics data is as
follow:
1. Define the equipment’s potential user population (e.g.,
worldwide population, US civilian)
2. Choose the proportion of the population to be
accommodated by the design (I.e., 90% and 95% are
most common)
3. Determine the body dimensions important in design
(I.e., seating eye height, knuckle height,etc). Then, in
turn, determine the type of accommodation, whether it is
a reach or clearance situation
4. Determine the percentile value of the dimension
(determined in step 3) for the chosen proportion of the
population (determined in step 2) from anthropometrics
table. Where the percentile values are not readily
provided, use the mean and standard deviation of the
dimension from anthropometrics data
5. Determine the relevant allowances such as type of
clothing and personal equipment worn by the users,
gloves, etc.
