HUMAN FACTOR ENGINEERING

Experiment No 12

Anthropometric Measure. of Sample Population

Submitted to:
Dr. Sadaf Zahoor
Submitted by:
Mirza Abdul Rehman Baig
Registration No:
2019-IM-20

INDUSTRIAL AND MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

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Contents
Objectives ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
Problem statement......................................................................................................................................... 3
Theory ........................................................................................................................................................... 3
Anthropometry in ergonomics ...................................................................................................................... 3
Anthropometric data ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Static (Structural) Anthropometry ................................................................................................................ 5
Applications .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Advantages of anthropometry ....................................................................................................................... 5
Percentile ...................................................................................................................................................... 7
Think about other human factors .................................................................................................................. 9
Apparatus .................................................................................................................................................... 10
Procedure .................................................................................................................................................... 10
Comments and conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 11
References ................................................................................................................................................... 11

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 Experiment # 12

Objectives
To obtain anthropometric measurement of a sample population and perform statistical analysis of
the data

Problem statement
People come in all shapes and sizes, so you need to take these physical characteristics into
account whenever you design anything that someone will use, from something as simple as a
pencil to something as complex as a car.

Theory
Anthropometry is a science for acquiring systematic measurements of the human body.
Anthropometry was first used in the 19th century as a technique used among physical
anthropologists to research about human diversity and evolution in both living and extinct
populations.

In particular, such anthropometric methods have traditionally been used as a way of associating
racial, cultural and psychological features with physical characteristics. Specifically,
anthropomorphic dimensions include scale (e.g. height, weight, surface area, and volume),
structure (e.g. sitting vs. standing height, shoulder and hip width, arm/leg length, and neck
circumference) and composition (e.g., percentage of body fat, water content, and lean body
weight) of humans.

Anthropometry in ergonomics
In ergonomics, anthropometry is used as the basis for establishing a workstation. In
anthropometric studies, measurements of population dimensions are made on the basis of
population size and strength capabilities and differences. The three principles of ergonomic
design focused on anthropometry are the design for the range, the design for the extreme and the
design for the average. The aim of applying anthropometric concepts to the workplace is to
improve human efficiency, control fatigue and prevent accidents.

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Anthropometric data
Anthropometric data were used to analyze human body measurement for anthropological
categorization and comparison. It includes body measurements, such as height, weight and hand
size, and functional measurements, particularly as to how far people can reach in different
directions.
The distribution of these measurements in a population appears to follow a conventional "bell-
shaped" curve as shown in Figure 6.2. Design for the middle 90 percent of this variation has been
a common practice. However, this strategy may exclude the smallest 5% and the largest 5%, who
are likely to find the product difficult or impossible to use. In fact, the numbers excluded are
likely to be much larger, since those excluded by height may not be the same as those excluded
by length of arm, etc.

Figure 1: Typical variation of anthropometric measurement.

It is also necessary to take into consideration the difference in the distribution of data by gender,
age and geographical location. For example, a product that includes 90 per percent of UK males
may include only a small proportion of UK females, a small proportion of males over 75 percent
or less than 90 percent of males from another country.
Anthropometric data is fairly easy to find, with basic data available in many countries. However,
consistency between different data sets, and even within the same data set, is difficult
to detect. Data for apparently similar measurements are often obtained using separate
population samples, making more thorough comparative analysis difficult. Recently, some
attempts have been made to consider differences in measurements by age.
For example, the United Kingdom Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) released separate
data for children (Norris and Wilson, 1995), adults (Peebles and Norris, 1998) and older adults
(Smith et al., 2000). This offers a valuable introduction to anthropometric variations that might
be correlated with an aging population.

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Static (Structural) Anthropometry
Its point of focus is skeletal dimensions. It measures the distance of bones between joint centers,
including certain soft tissue measurements in contour dimensions (includes the wobbly stuff that
covers our bodies - muscle, fat, skin, bulk). It's not about clothes or packages. Measures to refer
to a naked person (with some adjustments)

Birth of static anthropometry

For the first time these measurements were made by a Belgian mathematician (Quetelet, 1870)
who tried to fit data to a Gaussian curve.

Dynamic (Functional) Anthropometry

In this type distances are measured while the body is in motion or engaging in physical activity.
It includes reach (e.g. may be arm plus extended torso), clearance (e.g. two persons via a
doorway), volumetric data (kinetosphere)

Anthropometrical Diversity Design:

Ergonomic designs are not always suitable for each person, the extremes will always be
exceptional cases for special accommodation Anthropometric extremes could be structural
dimensions (bones) or contour dimensions (soft tissues), anthropometric Diversity Ergonomic
designs must fit a wide range of user dimensions, usually from a 5th percentile woman to a 95th
percentile man.

Applications
Anthropometry has significant role in:

• Industrial designs

• Designing of clothes

• Ergonomics and architecture, where statistical data on the distribution of body measurements in
the population are used to optimize goods.

Advantages of anthropometry
• Product is made to be used by maximum number of people
• Higher productivity
• Reduction in work related injuries when anthropometry is considered while designing a
workplace.

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 • sale of product increases
• Ergonomic hazards and risks are minimized.

Anthropometric data depends on:

• Race
• Culture
• Gender etc

Measurements of anthropometry/data are important when designing any product/workstation,

etc. The following steps should be considered for the successful design of the
products/workstations.

1. Make the decision for whom you're designing

Anthropometry tables have measurements of various body parts for men and women,
classified into different nationalities and age groups, from children to aged people. So first of
all, you need to know exactly for whom you're designing a product. The community of
people you're designing for is called the user population.

If you were designing an office chair, you would need to find measurements for adults of
working age and not for children or the elderly. If you were designing a product for your
house, such as a kettle, the user group will include everyone except the young children.

2. Decide which body measurements are relevant

You need to know which areas of the body are important to your design. For example, if you
were designing a cell phone, you would need to consider the width and length of the hand,
the size of fingers, and grip. You wouldn't be too interested in the height or weight of the
user (though the weight of the phone may be important!)

3. Decide whether you are designing for the 'average' or extremes

Nobody is 'average' in all measurements of the body. Somebody might claim that they are of
average height but longer than the average hand length. This is also referred to as design
for maximum or minimum. The differences in people's size and shape also tells us that if you
design to suit yourself, it would only match people who are the same size and shape as you,
and you could 'design out' others

While designing for relevant users, percentiles are used in ergonomics instead of percentages.

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Percentile
Percentiles are shown in anthropometry tables which tell you whether the
measurement given in the tables relates to the 'average' person, or to someone who is
above or below the average in a certain dimension. It is the value below which, in a
group of observations, the given percentage age of observations falls. If you look at
the heights of a group adults , you'll possibly discover that most of them look about
of same height. Some may be noticeably taller, and some may be noticeably shorter.
This 'same height' is close to the average (called the 'mean' in statistics) and is seen in
anthropometry tables as the fiftieth percentile, also written as '50th percentile.' This
means that this is the most probable height in a group of people. If we were to plot a
graph of the heights (or most other dimensions) of our group of people, it would look
like this:

First, note that the graph is symmetrical – such that 50 percent of people are of
average height or taller height and 50 percent are of average height or smaller height.
The graph tails off to either end, since less people are extremely tall or very short. To
the left of the average, there is a point known as the 5th percentile, since 5 percent of
the population (or 1 person in 20) is shorter than that. The same distance to the right
is known as the 95th percentile, where only 1 person in 20 is taller than this height.

So, we also need to know whether we are planning for all potential users or only
those of above or below average dimensions. Now, this depends on exactly what
we're designing.

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For example, if we were designing a doorway using the average person's height,
shoulder width, hip width, etc., half of the people using the doorway would be taller
than the average, and half would be wider. Since the tallest people may not always be
the widest, more than half of the users will have to lean down or turn sideways to get
through the doorway. Therefore, in this situation, we will need to design using the
measurements of the widest and tallest people to make sure that everybody can walk
through them in the usual way.

Deciding whether to use the 5th, 50th or 95th percentile value depends on what you
are designing and for whom you are designing it.

Typically, if you select the right percentile, 95 percent of people would be able to use
your design. For example, if you're using the height of the door, you would choose
the height of the people (often called 'stature' in anthropometry tables) and choose the
95th percentile value or we can say, you would design for the taller people. You
wouldn't have to think about the average height of the people, or the fifth percentile –
they'd all be able to fit through the door.

At the other end of the scale, if you were designing a plane cockpit, and wanted to
make sure everybody could reach the control, you would pick the 5th percentile arm
length since people with short arms are the ones that are most difficult to design for.
If they could reach control, anyone else (with longer arms) would have been able to
access the control.

Here are some examples of other situations - your design project will normally fit into
one of these groups:

What is it that Design examples. Examples of Users that your

you are aiming measurements to design should
for with your consider. accommodate.
design?
Easy reach Vehicle Arm length, Smallest user: 5th
dashboards, Shoulder height percentile
Shelving
Adequate Manholes, Shoulder or hip Largest user: 95th
clearance to avoid Cinema seats width, percentile
unwanted contact Thigh length
or trapping
A good match Seats, Knee-floor height, Maximum range:
between the user Cycle helmets, Head 5th to 95th
and the product Pushchairs circumference, percentile
Weight

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 A comfortable and Lawnmowers, Elbow height, Maximum range:
safe posture Monitor positions, Sitting eye height, 5th to 95th
Worksurface Elbow height percentile
heights (sitting or
standing?)
Easy operation Screw bottle tops, Grip strength, Smallest or weakest
Door handles, Hand width, user: 5th percentile
Light switches Height
To ensure that an Machine guarding Finger width Smallest user: 5th
item can't be mesh, Arm length percentile
reached or Distance of railings Largest user: 95th
operated from hazard percentile

Sometimes you can't satisfy all of your users because there are contradictory solutions to
your design. In this situation, you're going to have to give a decision on what is the most
important element. You must never sacrifice safety, however, and if there is a real risk of
injury, you will need to use more extreme percentiles (1 percentile or 99 percentile or more)
to ensure that everyone is covered (not just 95 percentile of people).

Think about other human factors

• You may need to apply clothing corrections. Have you been allowed to shoe
heights? You usually add 20mm for flat shoes, and more if you think users are
wearing high heels. If your product is to be used in cold weather, can it still be used if
someone is wearing gloves or other bulky clothing?
• It is necessary to take into account the strength of your users, the environmental
conditions and the space in which they have to perform their tasks. If you were
developing equipment for adjusting car wheels, for example, it is more than possible
that they will have to be used in cold and rainy weather.
• People need to grip harder if their hands are wet and cold, and they need more
strength to perform tasks than they would if they were warm and dry.
• You will also need to recognize people's vision and hearing abilities. Can they read
the small labels you made on the remote control? Is there enough light to read them?
Can they hear the alarm bell over the general noise in the room? So, these factors
must be considered.

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Apparatus
• Steel tape
• Scale
• Product to be measured

Procedure
➢ Collect Anthropometric data
➢ Measure the Weight of the Sample population
➢ Measure the Stature Height in the Standing Position with the help of steel tape
➢ Measure the Elbow in the Sitting Position with the help of steel tape
➢ Measure the Shoulder Height in the Sitting Position with the help of steel tape
➢ Measure the Leg Length in the Standing Position with the help of steel tape
➢ Measure the Shoulder Width in the Sitting Position with the help of steel tape

Observation and Calculations

Reg No Stature Weight Elbow Shoulder Leg length Shoulder
height (kg) (cm) height (cm) width
(cm) (cm) (cm)

(Standing) (Standing) (Sitting) (Sitting) (Standing) (Sitting)

07 152 62 19 52 87 34
06 155 50 20.4 53 91 37
12 157 71 21.5 54 91.1 38
38 158 80 22 54 91.4 39
32 159 60 23 55 92 40
09 160 70 23 55 95 41
11 164 55 24 55 95 42
36 164 78 24 55 95.5 42
19 166 67 24.5 56 96 42
18 167 52 25 56 97 43

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Comments and Conclusion
Therefore, anthropometric measurements can be used to identify nutritional status in the
population more correctly by calculating Composite Score of the measurements and it is a non-
invasive and relatively correct way of identification. The adverse effect of undernutrition on
health, development and economic productivity is well established. It needs proper and accurate
identification to get the idea of severity to address the issue. The newly computed Composite
Score can predict the nutritional status more accurately than BMI (Body mass index) and MUAC
(Mid-upper arm circumference). Moreover, it will give population-based cut-off values which
will lower the probability of mis-classification. Lastly, it is expected that scientific ventures will
continue to develop such scores with the data of other population groups and it will provide a
comprehensive understanding over this newly developed method.

References
1. https://biologydictionary.net/anthropometry/

2. E./Human Capability and Product DESIGN JOHN CLARKSON, in Product Experience,

2008 Chapter 3
3. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118814239.ch3
4. http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/studentdownloads/DEA3250pdfs/AnthroDesign.pdf
5. https://www.ergonomics4schools.com/lzone/anthropometry.htm

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