Virtual Ergonomics Laboratory: Human Body Dimension Relevance

Abstract

Ergonomics has become an integral part of design education curriculum, where input content demands demonstration through citing and analysing appropriate design experiences. It has come to fore through many academic forum discussions and meetings that to internalise various ergonomics issues relevant hands on experiences on this are necessary. To impart a feel of laboratory experimentation as well as application relevance to a greater number of learners, a virtual environment scenario could go along.A virtual presentation of ergonomics laboratory experiments on physical anthropometry and its design dimension consequences has been tried out. It contains a total of eleven sections. The topic opens with the introductory session where the subject matter and the laboratory experiment methodology in general was considered; this was followed by ten specific topics with flash based self-learning modules and data support on Indian population was provided to have a ready reference. Some of these topic specific experiment sections are also backed with video demonstrations.A whole set of virtual laboratory module under development, for users feedback, has already been uploaded in the net. The experiments are self-explanatory, downloadable and easy to perform. The feedback collected so far (online and also through direct demonstration surveys), confirms its usefulness both by the teachers and student-learners of Ergonomics specialisation and design programmes. This paper reports the salient features with content outline of the educational and free to use virtual anthropometric experiments manual developed which is being fine-tuned at IIT Guwahati.