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The aims of this work were: the definition of an experimental protocol for foot shape anthropometry characterization through advanced 3D scanning technologies; the assessment of the effects of load and position on foot morphology; the creation of a consistent database of both anatomical and standard shoemaking measures. 3D foot shapes from 89 subjects were captured by using a stereophotogrammetric scanning system. A set of dedicated measures were extracted from each individual foot in 5 different conditions in terms of lower limbs position and load. Results gave some interesting indications concerning foot morphology and suggested that position and load do not seem to deeply affect foot measures.

This work deals with the definition of a virtual approach to the ergonomic analysis of the installation of a bulky technical product. Both the weight and the size could create difficulties to the users managing it during the transport, unpacking, and installation phases. This study is developed over two steps: the first step regards the execution of laboratory tests to carry out a physical description of the movement required to manage the product. Based on the results of the first step, in the second phase a virtual simulation of the movement required for the product installation is realized. Once terminated both the physical and the virtual tests, the results from the two models are compared to verify the correspondence of the virtual model with the real one through the comparison of a typical ergonomic parameter for lifting task that is the measure of the forces on the L4 and L5 inter-vertebral disk of the subject executing the test.

The aim of this paper is to assess the accuracy and the repeatability of measures made by means of a stereophotogrammetric equipment and processed by a special software developed within the EUROShoE project (Growth Programme, European Commission), with the purpose to collect three-dimensional data from the surface of the foot. A prosthetic foot was marked with black stickers (5 mm diameter) corresponding to 10 anatomical landmarks, and repeated acquisitions of its surface were performed within a day and through days. Measures of the distance between pairs of markers were made manually on the artificial foot and estimated through the acquired surface data. The mean accuracy computed on 14 distances was 1.1 mm (SD = 1.2). The intra and inter day variability was assessed by considering repeated measures of conventional shoe making variables (e.g. stick length, ball girth, instep girth,…) produced by using dedicated software.

In the ANNIE project - Applications of Neural Networks to Integrated Ergonomics - BE96-3433, a tool for integrating ergonomics into the design process is developed. This paper presents some features in the current ANNIE as applied to the design of car interiors. A variant of the ERGOMan mannequin with vision is controlled by a hybrid system for neuro-fuzzy simulation. It is trained by using an Elite system for registration of movements. An example of a trajectory generated by the system is shown. A fuzzy model is used for comfort evaluation. An experiment was performed to test its feasibility and it showed very promising results.

In this work a methodological approach for the analysis of the car driver's posture and of the seat performance and functionality is presented. It has been designed to integrate the information from the measurement of the driver's posture and anthropometry with the seat characteristics as described by shape and pressure map. The experimental protocol was applied on eight subjects. The data analysis allows for the definition of some new interesting parameters. An important result is the estimation of the relationship between pressure and interpenetration that represents a predictive model for pressure distribution from the anthropometrical data of the anatomical surface of the back. This should be confirmed by a wider analysis and it could lead to new instruments for the evaluation of seat prototypes.

The possibility to check some requirements on the design is an important point to introduce the work of the ergonomists in early phases of the project. In this sense we developed a method for the simulation of the human motion during accessing to a vehicle and present an application in virtual prototyping of new car models. The method is based on the modulation of the kinematics of real movements acquired from subjects performing accessibility movements to a real car cockpit. This approach was applied with success to the different motor strategies shown by the subjects.