Ergonomics is a cross-disciplinary field. Its core question is the coordination between the human, the machine and the environment across different tasks. Its research methods and evaluation techniques span psychology, physiology, medicine, anthropometry, aesthetics, design and engineering technology. Its purpose is to apply knowledge from all these fields to guide the design and improvement of tools, working methods and working environments, so that work improves in efficiency, safety, health and comfort.
I. Two kinds of evaluation
Ergonomics results are influenced by physiological and psychological factors, so they divide into subjective and objective evaluation. Subjective evaluation usually uses hands-on experience and questionnaires, while objective evaluation uses simulation and calculation to produce ergonomics analysis reports for design verification.
Manufacturers already use virtual prototyping to develop products, and evaluating ergonomics on top of a virtual prototype is attracting growing attention. To meet this market need, HYSIM offers the iVPD ergonomics virtual prototype solution.
II. Objective evaluation - motion capture drives the manikin
For objective evaluation, mainstream ergonomics packages such as Delmia, 3DExperience, Jack and Process Simulate Human all ship with built-in evaluation metrics. However, their virtual humans are posed by manually adjusting each body joint, which takes a long time and produces unnatural results.
HYSIM combines real-time motion capture with virtual reality. Human posture data is recorded live and drives the virtual human inside these software packages. Adjustment takes far less time and the result is natural and credible. Both first-person and third-person viewpoints are supported.
III. Subjective evaluation - immersive review
For subjective evaluation, a virtual reality system provides the user with a convincing immersive environment and the feeling of sharing a room with the virtual prototype. This engages the user emotionally and makes the evaluation more rigorous.
The system captures body posture data and enables interaction with the virtual prototype. A built-in interaction editor makes it easy to configure interaction logic, so the usability of different control layout options can be evaluated.
IV. Outcome
By strengthening ergonomics research during the design process, work can be improved in efficiency, safety, health and comfort, supporting the sustainable development of the enterprise.