Search Results

Digital human modeling (DHM) progress worldwide will be much faster and cohesive if the diverse community now developing simulations has a global blueprint for DHM, and is able to work together efficiently. DHM developers and users can save time by building on each other's work. This paper highlights a panel discussion on DHM goals and strategic plans for the next decade to begin formulating the international blueprint. Four subjects are chosen as the starting points: (1) moving DHM into the public safety and internet arenas, (2) role of DHM in computer assisted surgery and automotive safety, (3) DHM in defense applications, and (4) DHM to improve workplace ergonomics.

The earliest Digital Human Modeling systems were non-interactive analysis packages with crude graphics. Next generation systems added interactivity and articulated kinematic human models. The newest systems use real-time computer graphics, deformable figures, motion controllers, and user interfaces. Our long-term goal is to free the user as much as possible from interactive human model manipulation through direct understanding and execution of task instructions. We present a next generation DHM testbed that includes a scriptable interface, real-time collision-avoidance reach, empirical joint motion models, a versatile locomotion engine, motion capture and synthetic motion blends and combinations, and a smooth skinned scalable human model.