Högskolan i Skövde

Occupant packaging design is usually done using computer-aided design (CAD) and digital human modelling (DHM) tools. These tools help engineers and designers explore and identify vehicle cabin configurations that meet accommodation targets. However, studies indicate that current working methods are complicated and iterative, leading to time-consuming design procedures and reduced investigations of the solution space, in turn meaning that successful design solutions may not be discovered. This paper investigates potential advantages and challenges in using an automated simulation-based multi-objective optimization (SBMOO) method combined with a DHM tool to improve the occupant packaging design process. Specifically, the paper studies how SBMOO using a genetic algorithm can address challenges introduced by human anthropometric and postural variability in occupant packaging design. The investigation focuses on a fabricated design scenario involving the spatial location of the seat and steering wheel, as well as seat angle, taking into account ergonomics objectives and constraints for various end-users. The study indicates that the SBMOO-based method can improve effectiveness and aid designers in considering human variability in the occupant packaging design process.

Engineers use modelling and simulation techniques to efficiently create, evaluate, and optimize design solutions.In an industrial production context, engineers often need to consider requirements related to both productivityand worker well-being in order to find successful design solutions. However, simulations related to productivityand worker well-being respectively, are typically carried out by different engineering roles, using different digitaltools. This lack of integrated work procedure could lead to inefficient development processes and suboptimaldesign solutions. Additionally, since performing multi-objective optimizations is likely to be seen as a complicated task by engineers in areas such as design engineering, production engineering, and ergonomics, requiringspecific knowledge and skills, such tasks are typically performed by engineers specialized on optimization. Thispaper presents the development and usability evaluation of a digital tool that supports engineers not specializedin optimization to define and perform simulation-based multi-objective optimizations of requirements related toboth productivity and worker well-being in an automated and simultaneous manner. The digital tool is the resultof research carried out over a period of four years, following an iterative development and assessment process bythe means of use cases, done in close collaboration with potential users of the digital tool, i.e. engineers at severalcompanies. The usability evaluation of the digital tool shows that potential users in the industry view the tool asa promising support for performing their engineering tasks in a more efficient and integrated manner.

En pedagogisk fråga vid distansutbildning är hur relationellt lärande och social lärmiljö kan främjas. Då interaktion ser annorlunda ut än vid campusutbildning och när resurser för lärartid är begränsat till ett minimum blir detta en reell utmaning att adressera. Relationellt lärande och social lärmiljö är betydelsefulla aspekter för att stödja studentens kunskapsutveckling i högre utbildning, och kan beskrivas som ett pedagogiskt synsätt där relationer står i centrum. Dels med avseende på den pedagogiska relationen mellan lärare och student, men även andra relationer såsom mellan student-student eller student-grupp ses som centrala. Inför den nystartade distanskursen Hållbar produktutveckling, inriktning Design Thinking introducerades arbetsformen Support- och diskussionsgrupper med syfte att stödja den sociala lärmiljön på distans. Studenterna fick då möjlighet att gruppvis träffavarandra via ett digitalt verktyg för att både diskutera aktuella frågeställningar i kursen, samt att vara ett stöd för varandra under kursens gång. Arbetsformen visadesig gynna studenternas kunskapsutveckling och gav goda resultat i kursvärderingen. Genom att förstå de grundläggande faktorer som främjar kunskapsutveckling, däribland den sociala lärmiljön, och hur vi kan forma den när den inte uppstår naturligt såsom i distanskurser, kan vi skapa gynnsamma förutsättningar för studenternas kunskapsutveckling och det livslånga lärandet.

This paper presents an interview study aiming to understand the state of the art of how ergonomics designers work in the vehicle development process within the Swedish automotive industry. Ten ergonomic designers from seven different companies participated in the interview study. Results report the ergonomics designers' objectives, workflow, tools, challenges, and ideal work performance tool. We identify four main gaps and research directions that can enhance the current challenges: human behavior predictions, simulation tool usability, ergonomics evaluations, and integration between systems.

The paper reports an investigation conducted during the DHM2020 Symposium regarding current trends in research and application of DHM in academia, software development, and industry. The results show that virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and digital twin are major current trends. Furthermore, results show that human diversity is considered in DHM using established methods. Results also show a shift from the assessment of static postures to assessment of sequences of actions, combined with a focus mainly on human well-being and only partly on system performance. Motion capture and motion algorithms are alternative technologies introduced to facilitate and improve DHM simulations. Results from the DHM simulations are mainly presented through pictures or animations.

In the design process of products and production systems, the activity to systematically evaluate initial alternative design concepts is an important step. The digital human modeling (DHM) tools include several different types of assessment methods in order to evaluate product and production systems. Despite this, and due to the fact that a DHM tool in essence is a computer-supported design and analysis tool, none of the DHM tools provide the functionality to, in a systematic way, use the results generated in the DHM tool to compare design concepts between each other. The aim of this paper is to illustrate how a systematic concept evaluation method is integrated in a DHM tool, and to exemplify how it can be used to systematically assess design alternatives. Pugh´s method was integrated into the IPS software with LUA scripting to systematically compare design concepts. Four workstation layout concepts were generated by four engineers. The four concepts were systematically evaluated with two methods focusing on human well-being and two methods focusing on system performance and cost. The result is very promising. The demonstrator illustrates that it is possible to perform a systematic concept evaluation based on human well-being, overall system performance, and other parameters, where some of the data is automatically provided by the DHM tool and other data manually. The demonstrator can also be used to evaluate only one design concept, where it provides the software user and the decision maker with an objective and visible overview of the success of the design proposal from the perspective of several evaluation methods.

This paper presents the development of body-shape-data-based digital human models, i.e. manikins, for ergonomics simulations. In digital human modeling (DHM) tools, it is important that the generated manikin models are accurate and representative for different body sizes and shapes as well as being able to scale and move during motion simulations. The developed DHM models described in this paper are based on body scan data from the CAESAR anthropometric survey. The described development process consists of six steps and includes alignment of body scans, fitting of template mesh through homologous body modeling, statistical prediction of body shape, joint centre prediction, adjustment of posture to T-pose, and, finally, generation of a relation between predicted mesh and manikin mesh. The implemented method can be used to create any type of manikin size that can be directly used in a simulation. To evaluate the results, a comparison was done of original body scans and statistically predicted meshes generated in an intermediary step, as well as the resulting DHM manikins. The accuracy of the statistically predicted meshes are relatively good, even though differences can be seen, mostly related to postural differences and differences around smaller areas with distinct shapes. The biggest differences between the final manikin models and the original scans can be found in the shoulder and abdominal areas, in addition to the significantly different initial posture that the manikin models have. To further improve and evaluate the generated manikin models, additional body scan data sets that include more diverse postures would be useful. DHM tool functionality could also be improved to enable evaluation of the accuracy of the generated manikin models, possibly resulting in DHM tools that are more compliant with standard documents. At the same time, standard documents might need to be updated in some aspects to include more three-dimensional accuracy analysis.

Digital human modelling (DHM) is a tool that allows humans to be modelled in three-dimensional CAD. An almost infinite variety of humans can be modelled and families of so-called manikins can be created to act as virtual user groups, evaluating the interactions between humans and products, workplaces and environments. This chapter introduces the concept of DHM, its use of, and reliance on, anthropometric data from national populations and showcases two exemplar tools in SAMMIE and IPS IMMA. Case studies are presented that highlight the advantages DHM can bring to understanding the requirements of designing for the ageing population; covering designing for the ageing workforce, the exploration of transport accessibility and how users can generate representative manikin families to properly represent the diversity of people. DHM is demonstrated to be a powerful tool for practitioners aiming to understand and design for people, including older people within society.

The type of ergonomics assessment methods typically used in digital human modelling (DHM) tools and automated assessment processes were rather developed to be used by ergonomists to assess ergonomics by observing the characteristics of the work. Direct measurement methods complement observation methods. Direct measurement methods have a design that suits being implemented into DHM tools. A drawback of direct measurement methods is that they traditionally do not include action levels. However, action levels in direct measurement methods have recently been suggested. The aim of this paper is to illustrate how these recent physical load exposure calculations and recommendations can be integrated in a DHM tool and in an automated assessment process. A demonstrator solution was developed that inputs exposure data from simulations in the DHM tool IPS IMMA as well as exposure data that originate from tracking real workers’ motions, using the motion capture system Xsens MVN. The demonstrator was applied in two use cases: one based on predicted human motions and one based on captured human motions. In the demonstrator, head posture, upper left and right arm posture and velocity, as well as left and right wrist velocity were calculated. Exposure data were compared with action levels, and extreme action levels were indicated by colouring the information. The results are promising, and the demonstrator illustrates that it is possible to follow the trends in Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 to automate and digitalize ergonomics assessment processes in industry.

Simulation technologies are widely used in industry as they enable efficient creation, testing, and optimization of the design of products and production systems in virtual worlds, rather than creating,testing, and optimizing prototypes in the physical world. In an industrial production context, simulation of productivity and ergonomics helps companies to find and realize optimized solutions that uphold profitability, output, quality, and worker well-being in their production facilities. However, these two types of simulations are typically carried out using separate software, used by different users, with different objectives. This easily causes silo effects, leading to slow development processes and sub-optimal solutions. This paper reports on research related to the realization of an optimization framework that enables the concurrent optimization of aspects relating to both ergonomics and productivity. The framework is meant to facilitate the inclusion of Ergonomics 4.0 in the Industry 4.0 revolution.