Cushion Surface Modeling Based on Body Pressure Distribution and Subjective Rating

Abstract

This paper presents a method of ergonomic design based on subjective rating for the purpose of modeling cushion surface mapped by body pressure distribution (BPD) test data. A sitting comfort evaluation scale was designed to collect subjective comfort perception. Optimal BPD test data were selected by comparing comfort rating after experiments on a trial seat. A data mapping model was established between point clouds in three dimensional coordinate and BPD test data, which can be recognized and transferred in CAD system. In this context, an ergonomic-aided system was developed in practical application to demonstrate the viability of the method. Two designers tried out the system to design a seat cushion, and compared it with conventional method in Rhino software. Results show that the system is more interactive to designers, which can save time of surface modeling by about 50%.