C13 Use of ergonomic and anthropometric data
Initial knowledge/skills rating *
September 2011
I understand what ergonomic data is, I even used it once for my HNC design project!
I need to clarify my understanding of anthropometric data next.
I understand what ergonomic data is, I even used it once for my HNC design project!
I need to clarify my understanding of anthropometric data next.
14th March 2012
Using anthropometric data for my design innovation project ***
For my design Innovation project I am designing an activity board for children with severe autism aged from four to sixteen years old. So that I can design the activity board to suit the human body I am researching anthropometric data. I tried to find a free set of tables on the internet but all I seemed to find were a few tables that did not supply all the data that I required. Frustrated and rather unsure of their authenticity I decided to go to the library in search of a book.
I have not used anthropometric data since I was a college some twenty seven years ago. I can remember using tables but I do not recall there being different types of anthropometric data. Thinking about it I probably only used the table that was given to me.
Anthropometry is the measurement of body dimensions and comes into two categories:
· Static anthropometry – is the measurement of the body when held in standard static postures. Measurements include statue, weight, centre of gravity, body breaths, depths, circumferences, height from body landmarks such as seated, standing, tip of hand to floor.
This type of anthropometric data is used to design products that have a 'physical' fit
· Functional anthropometry – is the measurement of the limit of the body such as the distance that can be reached in front and overhead.
This type of anthropometric data is used to either make something operable or inoperable for safety reasons.
I was surprised to find additional data available that covered physical abilities and psychological abilities.
Physical abilities – include measurements of any physical activity. Those included in this handbook were:
· Strength – Strength may be measured around specific joints (i.e when bending at the elbow or knee) or exerted through specific actions. Data may include strength in arms, hands, fingers, legs and mouth. It may include: pushing, pulling, lifting, twisting, pinching and biting forces.
· Movement –These measurements include general movement skills and include data on running speeds, swimming etc.
· Specific performance – measurements of physical abilities related to specific activities or products such as opening doors, throwing balls etc.
Psychological abilities – May include information about how we see the world around us and come into one of two categories
· Perceptual abilities – include measurements of visual and auditory perception presented as reaction times to visual and auditory stimuli.
Cognitive abilities – these may include understanding of warning symbols, understanding and preference for colour and attention span.
Childata The Handbook of Child Measurements and Capabilities-Data for Design Safety
I liked the tables included in this book that included clear pictorial examples of what the data referred to. I have decided to keep a copy of these as I think they will provide a useful guide when it comes to teaching the relevance and application of anthropometric data.
Applying anthropometric data ****
Size of posting hole
Not only did the hole in the posting tube need to be big enough to let the balls and spiders pass through easily it also had to be small enough to prevent the children from getting their hands stuck in the tube.By using the average hand measurements supplied in the anthropometric data sheet for a child between the age of 3.5 and 4.5 years, I could ensure the holes I made in the posting tube would not allow the youngest child expected to use the posting tube to put their whole hand inside. Children over this age would have larger hands therefore I only needed to consider the smallest.
Designing an activity board for use by up to three children with severe autism
Conversely by using the anthropometric data for shoulder width measurements of the oldest child expected to use the activity board, I could arrange features at a suitable distance to allow up to three children to play comfortably along side each other. I also had to bear that children with severe autism are unlikely to like physical contact and would not play in such close proximity as one would expect from a stereotypical child.
When the activity board was assembled I was able to ask my family to stand around it and put it to the test. Unfortunately as I was the third person we had no way of taking a photograph. the design did work which went to prove applying the anthropometric data led to an ergonomic design.
Positioning holes in the posting tube
Finally I took the data from several anthropometric data sheets. I used both male and female examples. Generally speaking females are slightly smaller than males. I used the eye height of the youngest and smallest child to position the bottom posting hole. I used overhead reach and eye level of the oldest and tallest child to arrange the upper posting hole.
However I was also restricted by the height of the wall the board will be mounted on which was quite low. To ensure I was making the best decisions possible I cut some cardboard circles out, stuck them to a door in relation to the measurements I wanted to use for spacing and asked two of my peers of quite different builds to stand next to them. From this I was able to see the upper hole was not too low in real terms.
10th July 2012
So what is the difference between ergonomics and anthropometric data?
So what is the difference between ergonomic data and anthropometric data? in my first entry on this page I said I knew what ergonomic data was and that I needed to understand what anthropometric data was. I still feel that woolly definition in my head. I think that ergonomic data is the application of anthropometric data to make a product that functions well and suits the human body. But am I correct? If I repeated this to students would I be correct?
Using websites aimed for use by schools and students that I have discovered over the last few months I am going to see if I can turn my woolly understanding into something that I can clearly articulate. I want to feel both confident and competent when I convey my ideas and understandings to other people.
I am going to visit BBC bitesize,
www.technology student.com
www.design-technology.info/home.htm
According to BBc bitesize anthropometric data is the 'study of the sizes of people in relation to products'
and 'ergonomics is the relationship between people and the products that they use'. It says anthropometric data is used to help design the product and that ergonomics is also about the forces that a human can apply.
Well I don't think much of that explanation. That would imply anthropometric data does not include information about the forces applied by a human. Whereas quite clearly I gathered such tables from an anthropometric data book.
The following is a summary of the meanings of words as taken from http://www.design-technology.info/anthropometrics/
Anthropos - Greek word meaning man.
Metrics - measurements.
Erg - work being done effectively
Onomics - which is close to economics - effective application of something
Combining Erg and Onomics- effective management and minimising the work done
Ok so maybe I am selecting the information from a variety of sources that backs up my understanding of anthropometric and ergonomic to help me clearly articulate my ideas.
I would now say Anthropometric data is the study of the human body. It includes physical measurements as well forces that can be applied by various human limbs and joints. As well as data relating to the mental capabilities at various ages and recognised mental conditions.
I would say Ergonomics is the application of anthropometric data to design products that suit the human body to provide products that are comfortable and easy to use.
Am I right? Who knows? Maybe I should have visited Wikipedia or a dictionary just to get a definition of the words. Oh well.
But if I had done that I would not have come across this additional information.
Do I feel confident and fully competent now? Yes I suppose I do. Even if someone told me I was wrong in my definitions I would feel able to argue why I think what I think. More stars please.
Skills rating *****
Using websites aimed for use by schools and students that I have discovered over the last few months I am going to see if I can turn my woolly understanding into something that I can clearly articulate. I want to feel both confident and competent when I convey my ideas and understandings to other people.
I am going to visit BBC bitesize,
www.technology student.com
www.design-technology.info/home.htm
According to BBc bitesize anthropometric data is the 'study of the sizes of people in relation to products'
and 'ergonomics is the relationship between people and the products that they use'. It says anthropometric data is used to help design the product and that ergonomics is also about the forces that a human can apply.
Well I don't think much of that explanation. That would imply anthropometric data does not include information about the forces applied by a human. Whereas quite clearly I gathered such tables from an anthropometric data book.
The following is a summary of the meanings of words as taken from http://www.design-technology.info/anthropometrics/
Anthropos - Greek word meaning man.
Metrics - measurements.
Erg - work being done effectively
Onomics - which is close to economics - effective application of something
Combining Erg and Onomics- effective management and minimising the work done
Ok so maybe I am selecting the information from a variety of sources that backs up my understanding of anthropometric and ergonomic to help me clearly articulate my ideas.
I would now say Anthropometric data is the study of the human body. It includes physical measurements as well forces that can be applied by various human limbs and joints. As well as data relating to the mental capabilities at various ages and recognised mental conditions.
I would say Ergonomics is the application of anthropometric data to design products that suit the human body to provide products that are comfortable and easy to use.
Am I right? Who knows? Maybe I should have visited Wikipedia or a dictionary just to get a definition of the words. Oh well.
But if I had done that I would not have come across this additional information.
Do I feel confident and fully competent now? Yes I suppose I do. Even if someone told me I was wrong in my definitions I would feel able to argue why I think what I think. More stars please.
Skills rating *****
How other people have worked
It has been interesting to observe how other members of my year have approached this module. Some gathered their data by directly measuring other students. Someone took a statistical fact regarding a measurement of the human body and put it to the test by measuring a selection of people. Of course this has its limitations compared with compiled data but it is an interesting approach none the less.
There was also a day this semester that a group of us went through the skills audit and we discussed what we understood the unit to mean and how we had approached it. One member had taken an everyday item and considered how well it had fitted their body and how easy it was to use.They considered the design features that had been specifically applied to make the product ergonomic. I really liked this approach and had hoped to carry out a similar evaluation but as always time was against me. I am making a note of this here because I want to remember this idea. I think it would be a very good way of helping someone understand the role of anthropometric data and ergonomics in the design of a product.
There was also a day this semester that a group of us went through the skills audit and we discussed what we understood the unit to mean and how we had approached it. One member had taken an everyday item and considered how well it had fitted their body and how easy it was to use.They considered the design features that had been specifically applied to make the product ergonomic. I really liked this approach and had hoped to carry out a similar evaluation but as always time was against me. I am making a note of this here because I want to remember this idea. I think it would be a very good way of helping someone understand the role of anthropometric data and ergonomics in the design of a product.
Light bulb going on!
It seems funny now that I designed a bedside cabinet for myself without formulating into words the application of anthropometric data or ergonomics. I made lots of decisions regarding ergonomics at the time and yet I did not acknowledge them enough to put one single entry on this page. Why? was it because I hate writing things down? Was it because I did not value what I was doing because it was not backed up by scientific data sheets? Yes I think it probably did have something to do with that. Yet I did run lots of little tests almost subconsciously. Like I said in my very first entry on this website I have been designing things from a very early age followed by formal training. It is now necessary for me to de-construct what I do in order to teach and help future students meet mark criteria.I must learn to value my own actions and recognise the variety of methods available.
I was designing the bedside table specifically for my own use therefore I did not need to use anthropometric data from a table. I was able to take measurements directly from myself. I didn't always need to take measurements I was able to hold things in my hand to judge whether they suited me. For example I tried several little designs for the little handle on the sliding shelf (not all evidenced in my project of course) but I did them all the same. I measured the height of the bed and worked out what I would be comfortable reaching. i considered where my face would be in relation to the corner of the bedside cabinet. Many of these things could have been worked out using tables if they were being designed for the mass market.
I was designing the bedside table specifically for my own use therefore I did not need to use anthropometric data from a table. I was able to take measurements directly from myself. I didn't always need to take measurements I was able to hold things in my hand to judge whether they suited me. For example I tried several little designs for the little handle on the sliding shelf (not all evidenced in my project of course) but I did them all the same. I measured the height of the bed and worked out what I would be comfortable reaching. i considered where my face would be in relation to the corner of the bedside cabinet. Many of these things could have been worked out using tables if they were being designed for the mass market.