Background
information
The
starting-point of the research project “DINBelg 2005”
was bridging the gap between designers and anthropometry.
For example, designing consumer products should be based on
the measure of men. Also the ergonomists should always keep
the dimensions of the employees in mind when evaluating or
designing work spaces.
A total of 433 students of the Flemish Design Schools have
been questioned. The most common method to get an image of
the human body dimensions are anthropometric tables at the
beginning of the design process and testing with people in
the final stage. There is an explicit need to gather all the
data on a website and to update the dimensions for the Belgian
population. The students considerd pictures of products with
the suggested measures, guidelines and background as the most
efficient and desired method.
Until
now the design students used outdated tables with estimated
body dimensions of foreign populations. On this site you can
find up-to-date anthropometric values for the Belgians. The
average body length of the Belgian adults (between 18 and
65 years) is 1706 mm. Herefore more than 150 000 active people
have been measured. Through the combination of these data
with the DINED 2003 table, the other dimensions could be proportionally
calculated. For the anthropometric table in the Netherlands
a representative group was measured with a 3D total body scan
(www.nedscan.nl).
The dimensions of the elderly between 65 and 80 years are
based on that study.
For
children and adolescents the
Flemish
growth charts are being used to fit the
dimensions of Pheasant (2001). The guidelines about wheelchair
users and for interior architects are common used measures,
which can be applied with a certain tolerance.
Participating
schools:
- Hogeschool Antwerpen, Master in Product Development
-
Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg, Master in Product Design
-
Katholieke Hogeschool Mechelen, Bachelor in Interior Design
-
Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen, Bachelor Industrial Product Design
and Master Industrial Engineering
Most
used anthropometric models:
-
Calculating with tables 73%
-
Estimating 54%
-
Testing with people 52%
-
Measuring a similar product 46%
-
Book with pictures and measures 36%
-
Internet 23%
-
3D computer models 22%
-
2D drawing models 18%
Most
used books:
-
Dirken, H. 2001 Productergonomie: ontwerpen voor gebruikers. Delft:
Delftse Universitaire Pers, 496 p.
-
Haak, A.J.H, Leever-van der Burgh, D. 1994 De menselijke maat: een
studie over de relatie tussen gebruiksmaten en menselijke afmetingen,
bewegingen en handelingen. Delft: Delftse Universitaire Pers, 87 p.
-
Molenbroek, J.F.M. 1994 Op maat gemaakt: menselijke maten voor het
ontwerpen en beoordelen van gebruiksgoederen. Delft: Delftse Universitaire
Pers, 389 p.
-
Panero, J., Zelnik, M. 1979 Human dimension and interior space: a
source book of design reference standards. London: Architectural press,
320 p.
-
Pheasant, S. 2001 Bodyspace: anthropometry, ergonomics and the design
of work. London: Taylor & Francis, 244 p.