Integration of anthropometric data within a computer aided design model

High-performance clothing and body-worn products require good fit for the wearer. This is to ensure that they provide protection while maintaining comfort, mobility and good interaction with the surrounding environment. The incorporation of anthropometric data (measurements of proportions and sizes of the human body) into a new product design provides a more precise starting point for evidence-based design decision-making. It also ensures that these products are generated from information of the intended end-user. Computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacture (CAM) can be used accurately to reproduce the detailed designs generated using anthropometry. This paper describes how manually collected anthropometric data can be integrated into a CAD model and then, through rapid prototyping techniques, used as a design or manufacturing quality assurance tool to make it possible to produce customized body-worn technologies that enhance the fit for the user, improving their overall task performance. This has highlighted the importance of ensuring that the anthropometric data collected are appropriate for the requirements of the new product developer, in this case for glove design and manufacture.