ANTHROPOMETRY

Hilma Raimona Zadry

Definition

The term ‘anthropometry’ comes from the Greek

words anthropos (man) and metron (measure).
The study of measuring the various sizes and
proportions of the human body.
Anthropometry and Ergonomics

Anthropometric information describes the

dimensions of human body, usually through the use
of bony landmarks to which heights, breadths,
depths, distances, circumferences and curvatures
are measured.
Human Variability
 Is there a Average Human?

 Humans vary in dimensions based on

 Gender
 Ethnic groups
 Nationalities
 Etc.

 Factors affecting Anthropometric data

 Age – body dimensions begin to increase with age and then
decrease around 40
 Gender – men are generally larger than women at any given
percentile and body dimensions except hips and thighs
o Ethnic differences cause further differences
 Body Position
o Posture affect size
 Clothing – clothing adds to body size plus restricts movement
Anthropometric Measurements
Anthropometric Measurements
Anthropometric Measurements
Anthropometric Measurements
Anthropometry and its use
 Body size and proportion vary greatly between different
population and racial groups-a fact which designers must
never lose sight of when designing for an international
market.

 The importance of anthropometric considerations in

design as follows:
 If a piece of equipment was designed to fit 90% of the male U.S.
population, it would fit roughly 90% of Germans, 80% of
Frenchmen, 65% of Italians, 45% of Japanese, 25% of Thais and
10% of Vietnamese.
It is usually impracticable and expensive to
design products individually to suit the
requirements of every user.

Mass-produced and designed to fit a wide range

of users-the custom tailor, dressmaker, and
cobbler are perhaps the only remaining
examples of truly user-oriented designers in
western industrial societies.
Anthropometry in Workstation Design

 A basic philosophy in ergonomics is to design

workstations that are comfortable, convenient, and
productive to work at.

 Ideally workstation should be designed to fit both the

body and mind of the operator.

 Anthropometry is not only concern about appropriate

working height, but also about how the operator can
easily access controls and input devices.
Seating
 People sit down in a number of ways and for a variety, of reasons, like writing, resting
and watching TV. When sitting people change positions often to stop parts of the body
getting too tired. A good chair design will allow people to move about like this.

 Seats can be badly designed in a number of ways.

 Seat A is too high. The front of the seat presses into the back of the thigh at X. The
thigh is not meant to bear a lot of weight and will soon get tired.
 Seat B is too low. The legs either slide forward or the body has to crouch. Both
positions soon become uncomfortable.
 Seat C is too long. Either the sitter has no back support or has to lean back too far.
Both positions can cause back ache.
How can you decide upon
seating size and shape?
1. Decide exactly what the seat’s
purpose is. An easy chair will
have to be very different from a
desk chair.

2. Then you must take

measurements of the relevant
parts of the body
(anthropometry data).

3. In complex cases you should

use prototype model, to test
your design.
Principles in the Application of
Anthropometric Data
1. Design for Extreme Individuals

An attempt to accommodate all (or nearly all) of

the population
Design for the maximum – if maximum value
accommodates all. For examples:
o height of door
o escape hatch in airplane

Design for the minimum – if minimum value determines

if all are accommodated. For examples:
o distance to control button from the operator (reach)
o amount of force to press a button.
2. Design for Adjustable Range

Design to accommodate all

Range typically is 5th percentile of females to the 95th
percentile of males in relevant characteristics.
For examples:
o office chairs

o desk height

o key board height

This method of design is a preferred method, of

course it is not always possible.
3. Design for Average

There is no average human.

A person maybe average on one or two body

dimensions but it is impossible to find anyone
who is average in many dimensions.

There are times when the average may be

acceptable. For examples:
o counter height at grocery store.
Anthropometric Design Motto

Let the small person reach

Let the large person fit

The motto implies???......

The anthropometric motto implies that:

Reach distances should be designed for the

small, 5th percentile individual
Whereas clearance dimensions should be
designed for the large, 95th percentile
individual.
Average cannot be used – does not describe
the ranges of different body dimensions.
Statistical Properties of Anthropometric Data
 For most anthropometric properties, a graph of the relative frequency
of the various possible values will produce a bell shaped curve.
 Because of its generality it is often called the normal distribution.

 For example, the plot below presents the probability density function
for the stature of adult British men.
The normal distribution

A normal
distributed
variable can be
described in
terms of only
two parameters:
1. Mean value

2. Standard
deviation
Percentile
 In anthropometry it is convenient to speak of percentiles.
 To say that someone’s stature is 80th percentile means
that the person is taller than eighty percent of the people
in the same statistical sample.
Percentile
Two ways to determine percentile values:
1. Take distribution of data and determine from the graph
critical percentile values.
2. Calculate percentile value by multiplying standard
deviation (S) by z scores, then add the product to the
mean, m:

p  m  (z * S)
Why Percentiles Important?
1. To establish the portion of a user population that will be
included in (or excluded) from a specific design
solution.
2. Percentiles are easily used to select subjects for fit
tests, example 5th or 60th percentile values in the critical
dimensions can be employed for use test.
3. Any body dimension, design issue or score of a subject
can be exactly located.
4. Helps in selection of persons to use a given product.
Example: select cockpit crews whose body measures
are 5-95th percentile.
Use of Anthropometric Data in
Product Design
Some product dimensions which are determined using
anthropometric considerations
Type of Anthropometric Data
1. Structural Anthropometric Data
 Measurements of bodily dimensions of subject in fixed
(static) position,
 Measurements made from one clearly identifiable
anatomical landmark to another or to a fixed point in
space.
2. Functional Anthropometric Data
 Data that describes the movement of a body part with
respect to a fixed reference point.
 Area swept out by movement of hand – “workspace
envelopes”.

The figure shows the shapes of the reach envelopes and the allowable (a)
and preferred (p) zones for the placement of controls in a workspace.
3. Newtonian Anthropometric Data
 Data used in mechanical analysis of the
loading on the human body,
 Body is regarded as an assemblage of
linked segments of known length and mass,
 Enables designer to specify regions of
workspace in which displays and controls
may be optimally positioned,
 To compare loads on spine.
Functional and Newtonian anthropometric data are
fewer available than structural anthropometric data,
even though functional measures are more
representative of actual human activity.

Existing functional anthropometric data are useful for

designing workspace and positioning object within
them.
Anthropometric Measurement Tools
1. Standard Tools
Calipers – spreading and sliding

Anthropometer – rods with one fixed

Tapes – measure circumferences and contours

Simple scales – weight

Cones and boards with holes –

grip circumference and finger size
Anthropometric Measurement Tools
2. Photographic
Anthropometric Measurement Tools
3. Laser
Anthropometric Measurement Tools
4. Electronic Scanner
General Approach to
Use of Anthropometric Data

1. Determine body dimensions important in the design.

Example: chair
 popliteal height (lower leg length), seat depth (buttock to
popliteal length), hip breadth, mid shoulder sitting height (back
height), elbow height.
2. Define population (e.g., adult - male, adult - female, children)
3. Determine what principle should be applied
4. Select % of population to be accommodated
5. Locate anthropometric tables appropriate for the population
6. If special clothing worn – add allowances
7. Build prototype and test using representative tasks
STEPS IN DESIGN FOR FITTING CLOTHING, TOOLS,
WORKSTATIONS, AND EQUIPMENT TO THE BODY
(Kroemer, Kroemer, Kroemer-Elbert ,1997)

1. Step 1: Select those anthropometric measures that directly

relate to defined design dimensions.
Examples:
 hand length related to handle size;

 shoulder and hip breadth related to escape-hatch diameter;

 head length and breadth related to helmet size;

 eye height related to the heights of windows and displays;

 knee height and hip breadth related to the leg room in a

console.
STEPS IN DESIGN FOR FITTING CLOTHING, TOOLS,
WORKSTATIONS, AND EQUIPMENT TO THE BODY
(Kroemer, Kroemer, Kroemer-Elbert ,1997)

2. Step 2: For each of these pairings, determine whether the design must
fit only one given percentile (minimal or maximal) of the body
dimension. or a range along that body dimension.
Examples:
 The escape hatch must be big enough to accommodate the largest
extreme value of shoulder breadth and hip breadth, considering
clothing and equipment worn;
 The handle size of pliers is probably selected to fit a smallish hand;

 The leg room of a console must accommodate the tallest knee

heights;
 The height of a seat should be adjustable to fit persons with short
and with long lower legs.
STEPS IN DESIGN FOR FITTING CLOTHING, TOOLS,
WORKSTATIONS, AND EQUIPMENT TO THE BODY
(Kroemer, Kroemer, Kroemer-Elbert ,1997)

3. Step 3: Combine all selected design values in a careful drawing, mock-up, or

computer model to ascertain that they are compatible.
Example:
The required leg-room clearance height needed for sitting persons with long
lower legs may be very close to the height of the working surface determined
from elbow height.

4. Step 4: Determine whether one design will fit all users. If not, several sizes or
adjustment must be provided to fit all users.
Examples:
 One extra-large bed size fits all sleepers;
 Gloves and shoes must come in different sizes;
 Seat heights are adjustable.
Guidelines for the Conversion of Standard
Measuring Postures to Real Work Conditions
Slumped standing or deduct 5-10% from appropriate height measurements
sitting:
Relaxed trunk: add 5-10% to trunk circumferences and depths
add approximately 25 men to standing and sitting
Wearing shoes:
heights; more for "high heels"
Wearing light clothing: add about" 5% to appropriate dimensions
add 15% or more to appropriate dimensions (Note that
Wearing heavy clothing: mobility may be strongly reduced by heavy clothing.)
Extended reaches: add 100/0 or more for strong motions of the trunk
Center of handle is at about 40% hand length.
Use of hand tools:
Measured from the wrist
Forward bent head (and ear-eye line close to horizontal
neck) posture:
Comfortable seat add or subtract up to 10% to or from standard seat
height: height

Adapted from Kroemer, Kroemer, and Kroemer-EIbert (1997).

DESIGNING FOR MOTION
(Kroemer, Kroemer, Kroemer-Elbert ,1997)

 Step 1: Select the major body joints involved.

 Step 2: Adjust body dimensions reported for standardized
postures to accommodate the real work conditions.
 Step 3: Select appropriate motion ranges in the body
joints.
 The range can be depicted as the area between two positions,
such as knee angles ranging between 60 and 105 degrees;
 or as a motion envelope, such as circumscribed by combined
hand-and-arm movements,
 or by the clearance envelope under (through, within, beyond)
which body parts must fit.
Discussion
The End