The Human Solutions Group has launched two new research projects in which the virtual simulation of human beings will be used to gain new knowledge about body shapes and age-related changes in the human body.

“Research and development are an integral part of our corporate philosophy,” says Dr. Andreas Seidl, Executive Partner of Human Solutions GmbH. “We want to make our ergonomics expertise available for the industry in as many segments as possible – our ongoing contribution to more and more products being tailored perfectly to the requirements of human beings.”

The iMorph project

Individual characteristics of body shapes in humans (morphotypes) have a decisive effect on the size & fit of clothing and the economic success of apparel companies. Today, morphotypes can only be determined by experts through visual, individual evaluation – and these evaluations cannot be reproduced. No uniform classification scheme exists – we only have different approaches with varying evaluation criteria.

The aim of the project is to create automated morphological classification for individuals. These classifications will be integrated into the iSize international body data portal and used for case studies. This will expand the iSize analysis functions used for the development and optimization of sizetables and for determining appropriate sizes for individuals. The size & fit of garments, for example, can be evaluated in terms of body shape and taken into account for the standard size recommendation. These findings will make a meaningful contribution to economic and market-relevant collection design in the apparel industry.

iMorph is a ZIM cooperation project with the Center for Management Research, German Institute for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF-MR). The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

The Virtual Aging project

Our bodies change with advancing age – and our abilities are reduced as a result. The objective of the “Virtual Aging” research project is to develop software that will simulate age-related ability changes and individual ability limitations. The software will later be used in the virtual planning of manual work processes, e.g. in the automotive industry, and in product design based on digital human models. Biomechanical characteristics such as ranges of motion and speed will be addressed in the research project, together with sensory parameters like visual perception. The aim of the project participants is to build software solutions that go far beyond the capabilities of existing tools.

Virtual Aging is a collaborative effort of the Human Solutions GmbH, the imk automotive GmbH and the Chemnitz Technical University Institute for Industrial Engineering and Innovation Management. The project will be funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, within the context of the ICT 2020.