An efficient approach to human motion modeling for the verification of human-centric product design and manufacturing in virtual environments

The efficient and reliable human-integrated design of products and processes is a major goal of the manufacturing industry. Thus, numerous human-related product functionality and manufacturability aspects need to be verified, using simulation, in the context of the product development procedures. The natural representation of human motions in virtual environments is crucial for the reliability of the simulation results. In this context, the paper presents an efficient approach to human motion analysis and modeling with respect to the anthropometric parameters, based on real motion data. Statistical methods employed for the analysis of the data and additive motion models are derived. The models are capable of predicting human motion and driving digital humans in product and worker simulation environments. A specific test case is presented to demonstrate the application of the suggested methodology on a real industrial problem.