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Session 1077

Development of an Integrated System for Design Evaluation

Mark R. Rajai, Keith V. Johnson, Robert Matthews East Tennessee State University/ University of Louisville

Abstract

In this paper, two software packages (AutoCAD and Mannequin) are integrated to create an ergonomic CAD system. This developed system will provide designers with a powerful graphical tool to evaluate their design for human factors and safety criteria. An absence of a truly integrated ergonomic CAD system that has been desired by many researchers and designers was the motivating factor behind our efforts. Steps taken to integrate these two somewhat incompatible software is explained in this paper. Now designers have an ergonomic CAD system to assist them to design products according to physical abilities and characteristics of their human operators. Utilizing this type of technology could revolutionize the way products are designed and significantly reduce the alarming number of related injuries, thus saving millions of dollars. This integrated system could also substantially reduce the critical factor of time to market and lower overall cost of designing new products by allowing designers to test their products for human fit without having to build a prototype or using real subject.

I. Introduction

If designers need to see how a human with a particular set of statistical characteristics might fit into a certain design environment without subjecting a real person to that environment, a PC-based ergonomic drawing and design program would be an ideal application. With such a program, a "human" of different size, gender, and nationality could be manipulated around a PC developed environment, such as an AutoCAD drawing of the work environment, to determine whether they could fit into that environment. One such software that can do that is Mannequin. With this software, the "human" is a Mannequin generated image that can have varying dimensions to suit the anticipated human it will portray. This software integrated with a CAD system can provide the designer with a powerful graphical tool to evaluate his or her design for human factors and safety.

We believe utilizing this relatively inexpensive tool will reduce the alarming number of related injuries from poorly designed products, thus saving millions of dollars.

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Rajai, M. R., & Johnson, K. V., & Matthews, R. (2000, June), Development Of An Integrated System For Design Evaluation Paper presented at 2000 Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri. 10.18260/1-2--8301