The main goal of the ErgonomicWorkplaceDesign (EWD) application is to assist 3D designers, ManufacturingEngineers and other users of 3DS solutions in quickly detecting risks related to Ergonomics in the workplace using a virtual reproduction of that workplace. To reach this goal, the EWD relies on the SmartPosturingEngine (SPE) technology, a set of algorithms that performs an autonomous posturing of a DigitalHumanModel (DHM) based on relatively few inputs from the users. The autonomous DHM posturing removes that burden from the users, which do not have to manipulate the DHM directly.

The EWD application allows to create "worker tasks" by selecting right, left or both hand(s) action(s) to perform on object(s) in a given environment. From these inputs, the SPE performs a posture prediction on four DHM of different heights, i.e. 5th woman, 50th woman, 50th man and 95th man (Anthropometry). The user can also provide the object(s) weight as an optional input. This input will later influence the estimation of the whole-body posture.

Note that the different anthropometric measurements used to create these 4 different DHM come from the work of Reed et al. 1999, Reed et al. 2014, Parkinson et al. 2010.

In order to obtain the posture in an autonomous manner, the SPE invokes the following processes:

1. Preposition the DHM in front and towards the object(s) to grab

2. Estimate grasp mode and grasp location for the right OR left OR both hands​​​​​​​

3. Estimate the whole DHM posture

4. Close the hand on the object(s)

Author

Pierre Olivier Lemieux (Ph. D.)

​​​​​​​Pierre Olivier (P-O) is the first researcher that has worked on the Smart Posturing Engine technology. He started working on this project in 2014 as a postdoctoral intern and never stopped to enhance the SPE since then! He knows every line of code that compose the SPE by heart. He deeply understands the algorithms and the science behind this innovative technology.

If you have a question about the manikin posture, he is your man.