A Customizable Digital Human Model for Assembly System Design

Abstract

For a wholesome and comprehensive planning and design of future hybrid work systems and adaptive workplace assistance systems, several components of these systems are to be considered in detail. To ensure a human-centered and safe prospective planning and design process, these components need to be thoroughly investigated already in early stages of the simulation and virtual environment. In his context, especially the joint workplaces of humans and robots are of increasing importance for industrial assembly systems. For the planning process, existing software in Computer-Aided-Engineering (CAE) provides the possibility to incorporate the factor human by means of digital human models (DHMs) as well as robots by implementing e.g. robot trajectories, path planning and specific factory characteristics. Both partners show the potential to be incorporated in a simulation tool that accounts for the flexibility of robotic technology as well as the variability of the human body, anthropometrically and biomechanically. For an accurate description and simulation of a hybrid work system it is necessary to align the DHM individually to the employee’s anthropometric data and physical performance parameters. These data can be recorded with motion capturing methods and systems and serve as a basis for the human-centered design and planning process of adaptive work assistance in assembly systems and technologies.