Improving A* Walk Trajectories with B-splines and Motion Capture for Manual Assembly Verification

State of technology automatic DHM simulation has been rated too unrealistic for virtual assessment of manual assembly operations at Daimler AG. Realism can be increased by improving path planning of workers’ walk paths. This work proposes an analytic methodology for spatially and temporally improving A* results. It is based on B-Splines, which are parameterized using motion capture data. Tests with motion capture data show that the methodology improves realism even though systematic error remains. The proposed methodology is considered a significant improvement in comparison to today's A* based walk path models.