Anthropometry and automobile development

Abstract

Introduction. A vehicle represents a tool controlled by a person for performing a specific transportation task. Accordingly, the tool must meet the anthropometric characteristics of the person.

Purpose of the study. Anthropometric requirements are presented in anthropometric atlases, the normative documents on the anthropometric characteristics of the flight personnel and some popular publications. The given material is of a “quite substantial age”, since fundamental anthropometric studies haven't been carried out lately. Though the variability of the human body anthropometry is confirmed by historical facts, the ratio of the human body parts, in particular, dependent on the height, has not significantly changed. The search for this dependence was the purpose of the study.

Methodology and research methods. The determination of the parts proportionality of the human body depending on his height has been carried out by analyzing the available anthropometric data.

Results and scientific novelty. As a result of the comparative analysis of anthropometric characteristics taken from a variety of sources, the generalized percentage ratios (not found in the available scientific journals) of the human body parts depending on his height were determined.

Practical significance. The anthropometric characteristics of the supposed vehicle users were necessary when designing a driver’s workplace (DWP) and passenger accommodation areas. This information could be obtained from various available sources. When designing a DWP, it was convenient to use the distances between the centers of the joints, but obtaining such information was rather difficult, since professional anthropologists used some other indicators different from those used by mechanical engineers. As a result of this work, anthropometric characteristics were presented as percentage dependent on the height of the body distances between the joints of the human body parts. The approach allowed designing the DWP and passenger locations without referring to anthropometric data.