Digital human modeling for computer-aided ergonomics

Introduction While human modeling has always been at the forefront of ergonomics research, it is being propelled at an unprecedented tempo in the digital age by the advancement of computer technology. Digital human modeling is rapidly emerging as an enabling technology and a unique line of research, with the promise to profoundly change how products or systems are designed, how ergonomics analyses are performed, how disorders or impairments are assessed, and how therapies or surgeries are conducted. Digital human representations in various forms are increasingly being incorporated in the computer-aided design of human-machine systems, such as a driver-vehicle system or a manufacturing workstation. With the computing power and computational methods available today, we are able to render digital human models that are an order of magnitude more sophisticated and realistic than the ones produced a decade ago. There is however still a long way to go before we achieve the “ultimate” digital human surrogates—ones that look, act, and even think like we do. Some of the limitations associated with the current digital human models are unlikely to dissolve as computer performance further advances. This chapter discusses digital human modeling both as a technology and as a fundamental research area, in the context of computer-aided ergonomics or humancentric design. As a technology, digital human modeling is a means to create, manipulate, and control human representations and human-machine system scenes on computers for interactive ergonomics and design problem solving. As a fundamental research area, digital human modeling refers to the development of mathematical models that can predict human behavior in response to minimal command input and allow realtime computer graphic visualization. The discussion of the latter will emphasize on the modeling of human movements particularly those produced during physical acts under industrial settings. Such an emphasis heeds the fact that not only is movement the prime form of human physical work actions and interactions with machines, tools, and products, but the modeling of it is also where most research challenges arise.