Chapter 2 - Why do we need digital human models?

Abstract

Computer technology in the field of game technology, film, and virtual reality is so far advanced that computer-generated avatars can hardly be distinguished from their human originals. Measured in this respect, the digital human models used in science and technology are often very simple and often do not meet the esthetic requirements of the consumer sector. So why do we still need digital human models? The starting point for the development of such models was the ergonomic design of workplaces, which in the sense of a prospective ergonomics already required in the design phase—even before any physical realization—on the drawing board a human-friendly design. To this day, there are two approaches: on the one hand, anthropometric tables provide interpretative guidelines and standards. However, as this method was not sufficient for the increasingly differentiated demands, an individualization of the interpretation began with the use of template models in the early 1970s. With the appearance of computer technology, special three-dimensional digital human models were then developed for this purpose. In the first place, two essential modeling lines were distinguished: on the one hand, the anthropometric representations mentioned above, which the human dimensions, which are otherwise only available in table form, were made available in a three-dimensional model, and on the other hand biomechanical models represent the physics, in particular the mechanical properties of the human body. With the increasing power of computer technology and, in particular, the increasingly available measuring technology, two further areas of application of digital human models were added over time: physiological medical models and cognitive models. The paper gives a brief overview of the development of these topics within the framework of the SAE DHM Conferences and its successors, as well as the challenges that arise in these four fields of application. A common challenge of all the modeling is to find general relationships on the basis of measurements, to formulate them mathematically, and to extend them out into areas of application, which were not the subject of the measurements. There are two areas of application: on the one hand the ergonomic design of workplaces and workflows and on the other the individual optimization of behavior in sports and therapy.