Statistics for digital human motion modeling in ergonomics

Modern manufacturing demands that products be designed for the comfort and accessibility of consumers as well the health and safety of employees in the workplace. Speed of implementation requires that these designs be constructed in a virtual world. Digital human models are required for these virtual worlds for the exploration of vehicle and manufacturing designs from an ergonomic perspective. This article provides an overview of the ergonomic issues and statistical methods for human motion modeling. We first describe methods for modeling the basic elements of motion, decomposed into univariate curves, three-dimensional trajectories, and orientation trajectories. We then present methods for combining the components of the motion into a coherent whole. Two application examples in truck driver behavior and sheet metal assembly illustrate the methodology.