Constructing virtual mannequins with different postures for purposes of 3D design of the clothes

This article deals with the problem of constructing virtual mannequins with non-standard figures for the purposes of 3D design of clothes made of textiles. A definition of the notion “virtual mannequin” is suggested. The following classifying features of the virtual mannequin as a research model have been defined: according to the sphere of usage - scientific feature; to the form – information feature; to the development in time – static or dynamic; to the degree of reflecting basic features – parameterbased; to the degree of detailed representation – specified. The necessity of creating virtual mannequins with standard and nonstandard figures of consumers is established. Practical requirements for transforming informational surface of the mannequin have been introduced in the article. Suggested here is a new mathematical model for transforming virtual mannequin with a standard figure into the mannequin with a non-standard figure, different from the standard one in the “frame position” parameter

Applying and evaluating 3D bodyscanning technology and landmarking within the clothing product development process to improve garment fit for mature women aged 55+

Women aged 55+ are recognised to have non-standard body morphologies and may present with further functional considerations. Existing practice bases clothing development on younger bodies, exasperating misfit issues that exist already. This research therefore focuses on the assessment and provision of garment fit for mature women aged 55+. It applies and critically analyses the application of 3D bodyscanning technology and landmarking practice for the clothing product development process for mature women. Compared to traditional methods in anthropometric body measurement, 3D bodyscanning procedures have perceived benefits in speed, privacy and accuracy. It is therefore ideal in capturing the measurement of mature women aged 55+. However, bodyscanning may deal less well with non-standard bodies, which may complicate further pattern creation. Whilst bodyscanning has recognisable benefits (speed, convenience, consistency), the technology is not readily accessible to practitioners and necessitates its study and testing. A pragmatic, mixed method approach was developed to gather and analyse qualitative and quantitative data related to body scanning and pattern applications. A theoretical framework was established from the knowledge base informing six propositions, a null and alternative of hypothesis. This research applied a mixed methods approach, allowing the exploration of the technology, the application of the data in pattern practice and the testing of its success with a suitable 55+ population. The research developed novel approaches to understand the data and ensure its validity. Processes found that landmarking errors were not confined to 55+ demographic. Landmark errors concerning armscye, bust and crotch points were common; but the t-test revealed that older age was the variable most likely to impact on landmarking accuracy concerning bust and crotch points. Scan analysis added time to the scanning process which made the technology less time conserving as widely perceived. The study discovered that non-contact landmarking methods allowed errors that were not easily detectable without a reliable system in place; hence established a system for validation. Body measurements from the pattern guidance and body scan data measurements did not have comparable landmark definitions; therefore scanner landmark definitions needed to be modified for pattern construction, adding time to the process. Comparison of patterns constructed from unmodified and modified scan data revealed that landmark error had a substantial impact on key areas of pattern geometry. Changes in pattern shape translated into poor fit of the bodice, where armholes were either too tight/loose and the shoulder seam too short for the body. The bodice fit trials confirmed that participants favoured the fit of the bodice that had undergone landmark modification and had used their self-selected waist position. Methods are necessary to ensure scan data is suitable for the application of pattern construction, this study provides clear approaches that allow this

Virtuaalse proovikabiini 3D kehakujude ja roboti juhtimisalgoritmide uurimine

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneVirtuaalne riiete proovimine on üks põhilistest teenustest, mille pakkumine võib suurendada rõivapoodide edukust, sest tänu sellele lahendusele väheneb füüsilise töö vajadus proovimise faasis ning riiete proovimine muutub kasutaja jaoks mugavamaks. Samas pole enamikel varem välja pakutud masinnägemise ja graafika meetoditel õnnestunud inimkeha realistlik modelleerimine, eriti terve keha 3D modelleerimine, mis vajab suurt kogust andmeid ja palju arvutuslikku ressurssi. Varasemad katsed on ebaõnnestunud põhiliselt seetõttu, et ei ole suudetud korralikult arvesse võtta samaaegseid muutusi keha pinnal. Lisaks pole varasemad meetodid enamasti suutnud kujutiste liikumisi realistlikult reaalajas visualiseerida. Käesolev projekt kavatseb kõrvaldada eelmainitud puudused nii, et rahuldada virtuaalse proovikabiini vajadusi. Välja pakutud meetod seisneb nii kasutaja keha kui ka riiete skaneerimises, analüüsimises, modelleerimises, mõõtmete arvutamises, orientiiride paigutamises, mannekeenidelt võetud 3D visuaalsete andmete segmenteerimises ning riiete mudeli paigutamises ja visualiseerimises kasutaja kehal. Selle projekti käigus koguti visuaalseid andmeid kasutades 3D laserskannerit ja Kinecti optilist kaamerat ning koostati nendest andmebaas. Neid andmeid kasutati välja töötatud algoritmide testimiseks, mis peamiselt tegelevad riiete realistliku visuaalse kujutamisega inimkehal ja suuruse pakkumise süsteemi täiendamisega virtuaalse proovikabiini kontekstis.Virtual fitting constitutes a fundamental element of the developments expected to rise the commercial prosperity of online garment retailers to a new level, as it is expected to reduce the load of the manual labor and physical efforts required. Nevertheless, most of the previously proposed computer vision and graphics methods have failed to accurately and realistically model the human body, especially, when it comes to the 3D modeling of the whole human body. The failure is largely related to the huge data and calculations required, which in reality is caused mainly by inability to properly account for the simultaneous variations in the body surface. In addition, most of the foregoing techniques cannot render realistic movement representations in real-time. This project intends to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings so as to satisfy the requirements of a virtual fitting room. The proposed methodology consists in scanning and performing some specific analyses of both the user's body and the prospective garment to be virtually fitted, modeling, extracting measurements and assigning reference points on them, and segmenting the 3D visual data imported from the mannequins. Finally, superimposing, adopting and depicting the resulting garment model on the user's body. The project is intended to gather sufficient amounts of visual data using a 3D laser scanner and the Kinect optical camera, to manage it in form of a usable database, in order to experimentally implement the algorithms devised. The latter will provide a realistic visual representation of the garment on the body, and enhance the size-advisor system in the context of the virtual fitting room under study

Modelos humanos digitales de morfología variable aplicables en evaluaciones ergonómicas y biomédicas

Los sistemas de captura de movimiento están en completa evolución. En la actualidad, numerosas son las nuevas aplicaciones, muchas de ellas de carácter ergonómico y biomédico, en continuo desarrollo y a tenor de las cuales se plantea como necesario el desarrollo de Modelos Humanos Digitales capaces de cumplir una serie de necesidades específicas ante la implementación de los mismos en estas nuevas aplicaciones. Objetivo: El objetivo del presente proyecto es el desarrollo de modelos humanos digitales que permitan una mejor adaptación de los mismos a las necesidades de las nuevas aplicaciones, basándose para ello especialmente en cubrir y dar respuesta a la necesidad de obtener modelos validados antropométricamente, capaces de representar a un individuo o población determinada de la manera más fidedigna posible y cumpliendo en todo caso la normativa europea correspondiente. Método: Se ha desarrollado un protocolo de creación de modelos humanos en base a los resultados extraídos de la revisión bibliográfica de los sistemas y parámetros antropométricos involucrados a fin de dotar al método de una mayor validez científica. Resultados: Los resultados obtenidos conforman una librería de 30 avatares, compuesta por 15 personajes de sexo masculino y 15 de sexo femenino, de los cuales 3 son representativos de los percentiles P5, P50 y P95 basados en las medidas antropométricas de la sociedad española. El resto corresponden a los perfiles morfológicos calculados en base al índice antropométrico ICT distribuidos en grupos de 4 para cada percentil. Discusión: Tras la aplicación de los modelos desarrollados dentro del software desarrollado por el grupo IDERGO “Move Human” se observa una clara mejora en la correlación entre los puntos de fijación de los sensores sobre personas físicas y su correspondiente representación en el Modelo Humano bien nuevas líneas de investigación ro en relación con la consecución de un mejor ajuste antropomórfico quedan abiertas al futuro. Conclusión: El diseño de Modelos Humanos Digitales de Morfología Variable permite una mayor personalización y precisión a la hora de realizar la captura del movimiento y recogida de datos, consiguiéndose con ello un mayor nivel de fiabilidad en el análisis e interpretación de los resultados de la prueba. Como se exige en el reglamento para la elaboración de Trabajos Fin de Máster asociados al presente Máster en Ingeniería Biomédica, un periodo de prácticas en una institución externa a la propia Universidad de Zaragoza fue completado. La institución elegida para tal fin ha sido el Instituto de Medicina Legal de Aragón (IMLA) y las actividades llevadas a cabo comprendieron el estudio acerca de la reconstrucción 3D de cadáveres y su uso como asistente en el proceso de realización de autopsias médico-legales

Development of standardised sizing system and size charts for the production of ready-to-wear clothing for Ghanaian children aged 6-11

Children experience rapid growth rate and often indulge in various physical and motion related activities in education and play spaces. Ill-fitting clothing such as very tight or unproportionally balanced clothes can cause movement restrictions, psychological challenges, and other undesirable health related issues. This makes appropriate clothing sizing crucial to address, as it gives children the right fit that allows room for movement and growth. Effectiveness of fit is based on a sizing system and size charts that have been developed using current and accurate body measurements of a specific population since differences exist among populations. Currently, established size charts and academic publications on sizing systems in Ghana have focused on women. No national database or anthropometric study has been developed exclusively for Ghanaian children. Practitioners either take measurements on ad-hoc basis for made-to-measure outfits; or use adapted versions of the British sizing system for manufacturing ready-to-wear garments such as uniforms. This research has therefore been undertaken to develop a standard clothing sizing system and size charts for Ghanaian children between the (school) ages of 6 and 11. This will sustain the general production of reliably sized garments for Ghanaian children whiles providing appropriate fit. It will further enhance mass production of ready-to-wear garments for the apparel market in Ghana. The study involved both secondary and primary data collection methods. An extensive review of literature was conducted focusing on relevant topics in anthropometry and anthropometric surveys for sizing creation, sizing systems, growth of children and garment fit. A comprehensive set of body measurements including height and weight of the sample population of school children were collected. A critical measurement procedural guide and two instructional videos in English and Twi (dominant Ghanaian language) were developed by the study taking into account efficacy, ethical and sustainable considerations for good practice. These were made available and guided parents/legal guardians and participants in the data collection process during fieldwork. The population consisted of primary school pupils in Ghana. A sample of 776 usable data was used for the analysis. With the IBM SPSS analytics software, appropriate statistical procedures such as means, t-test and analysis of variance tests (ANOVA) were conducted to ascertain the relationships among the variables and to obtain statistical data for the development of the sizing system. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were also used to aid the development of the sizing system. Centred on the PCA technique, three key dimensions (height, chest, and waist girths) were selected based on the factor loading and practicality. The study found and established significant differences between the body measurements of Ghanaian children aged 6-11 along gender lines. Using the cluster analysis technique, the selected dimensions were used to categorize the study sample into homogenous subgroups according to upper and lower body separately for both males and females. Four or five sizes were created for each cluster group, and size charts were established based on percentile values. This study presents theoretical and empirical contributions to the body of knowledge in anthropometrics. It has modelled a guide that demonstrates the capability of remote and safe body measuring practices on children, which is particularly useful, economical, and reliable for clothing related practices that seek to employ consistent traditional manual measuring techniques. The study has created an original up-to-date anthropometric database for Ghanaian children between 6-11 years; and developed a comprehensive sizing system for wider clothing practices. In addition to providing a framework for procedures in creating children’s sizing system and size chart, it establishes new size charts for both males and females aged 6-11, based on the Ghanaian population. These developments stand to increase productivity, consistency, and economic efficiency for the Ghanaian apparel industry. The study makes recommendations for extending this work to other segments of the population

Development of statistical methodologies applied to anthropometric data oriented towards the ergonomic design of products

Ergonomics is the scientific discipline that studies the interactions between human beings and the elements of a system and presents multiple applications in areas such as clothing and footwear design or both working and household environments. In each of these sectors, knowing the anthropometric dimensions of the current target population is fundamental to ensure that products suit as well as possible most of the users who make up the population. Anthropometry refers to the study of the measurements and dimensions of the human body and it is considered a very important branch of Ergonomics because its considerable influence on the ergonomic design of products. Human body measurements have usually been taken using rules, calipers or measuring tapes. These procedures are simple and cheap to carry out. However, they have one major drawback: the body measurements obtained and consequently, the human shape information, is imprecise and inaccurate. Furthermore, they always require interaction with real subjects, which increases the measure time and data collecting. The development of new three-dimensional (3D) scanning techniques has represented a huge step forward in the way of obtaining anthropometric data. This technology allows 3D images of human shape to be captured and at the same time, generates highly detailed and reproducible anthropometric measurements. The great potential of these new scanning systems for the digitalization of human body has contributed to promoting new anthropometric studies in several countries, such as United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France or USA, in order to acquire accurate anthropometric data of their current population. In this context, in 2006 the Spanish Ministry of Health commissioned a 3D anthropometric survey of the Spanish female population, following the agreement signed by the Ministry itself with the Spanish associations and companies of manufacturing, distribution, fashion design and knitted sectors. A sample of 10415 Spanish females from 12 to 70 years old, randomly selected from the official Postcode Address File, was measured. The two main objectives of this study, which was conducted by the Biomechanics Institute of Valencia, were the following: on the one hand, to characterize the shape and body dimensions of the current Spanish women population to develop a standard sizing system that could be used by all clothing designers. On the other hand, to promote a healthy image of beauty through the representation of suited mannequins. In order to tackle both objectives, Statistics plays an essential role. Thus, the statistical methodologies presented in this PhD work have been applied to the database obtained from the Spanish anthropometric study. Clothing sizing systems classify the population into homogeneous groups (size groups) based on some key anthropometric dimensions. All members of the same group are similar in body shape and size, so they can wear the same garment. In addition, members of different groups are very different with respect to their body dimensions. An efficient and optimal sizing system aims at accommodating as large a percentage of the population as possible, in the optimum number of size groups that better describes the shape variability of the population. Besides, the garment fit for the accommodated individuals must be as good as possible. A very valuable reference related to sizing systems is the book Sizing in clothing: Developing effective sizing systems for ready-to-wear clothing, by Susan Ashdown. Each clothing size is defined from a person whose body measurements are located toward the central value for each of the dimensions considered in the analysis. The central person, which is considered as the size representative (the size prototype), becomes the basic pattern from which the clothing line in the same size is designed. Clustering is the statistical tool that divides a set of individuals in groups (clusters), in such a way that subjects of the same cluster are more similar to each other than to those in other groups. In addition, clustering defines each group by means of a representative individual. Therefore, it arises in a natural way the idea of using clustering to try to define an efficient sizing system. Specifically, four of the methodologies presented in this PhD thesis aimed at segmenting the population into optimal sizes, use different clustering methods. The first one, called trimowa, has been published in Expert Systems with Applications. It is based on using an especially defined distance to examine differences between women regarding their body measurements. The second and third ones (called biclustAnthropom and TDDclust, respectively) will soon be submitted in the same paper. BiclustAnthropom adapts to the field of Anthropometry a clustering method addressed in the specific case of gene expression data. Moreover, TDDclust uses the concept of statistical depth for grouping according to the most central (deep) observation in each size. As mentioned, current sizing systems are based on using an appropriate set of anthropometric dimensions, so clustering is carried out in the Euclidean space. In the three previous proposals, we have always worked in this way. Instead, in the fourth and last approach, called kmeansProcrustes, a clustering procedure is proposed for grouping taking into account the women shape, which is represented by a set of anatomical markers (landmarks). For this purpose, the statistical shape analysis will be fundamental. This contribution has been submitted for publication. A sizing system is intended to cover the so-called standard population, discarding the individuals with extreme sizes (both large and small). In mathematical language, these individuals can be considered outliers. An outlier is an observation point that is distant from other observations. In our case, a person with extreme anthopometric measurements would be considered as a statistical outlier. Clothing companies usually design garments for the standard sizes so that their market share is optimal. Nevertheless, with their foreign expansion, a lot of brands are spreading their collection and they already have a special sizes section. In last years, Internet shopping has been an alternative for consumers with extreme sizes looking for clothes that follow trends. The custom-made fabrication is other possibility with the advantage of making garments according to the customers' preferences. The four aforementioned methodologies (trimowa, biclustAnthropom, TDDclust and kmeansProcrustes) have been adapted to only accommodate the standard population. Once a particular garment has been designed, the assessing and analysis of fit is performed using one or more fit models. The fit model represents the body dimensions selected by each company to define the proportional relationships needed to achieve the fit the company has determined. The definition of an efficient sizing system relies heavily on the accuracy and representativeness of the fit models regarding the population to which it is addressed. In this PhD work, a statistical approach is proposed to identify representative fit models. It is based on another clustering method originally developed for grouping gene expression data. This method, called hipamAnthropom, has been published in Decision Support Systems. From well-defined fit models and prototypes, representative and accurate mannequins of the population can be made. Unlike clothing design, where representative cases correspond with central individuals, in the design of working and household environments, the variability of human shape is described by extreme individuals, which are those that have the largest or smallest values (or extreme combinations) in the dimensions involved in the study. This is often referred to as the accommodation problem. A very interesting reference in this area is the book entitled Guidelines for Using Anthropometric Data in Product Design, published by The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. The idea behind this way of proceeding is that if a product fits extreme observations, it will also fit the others (less extreme). To that end, in this PhD thesis we propose two methodological contributions based on the statistical archetypal analysis. An archetype in Statistics is an extreme individual that is obtained as a convex combination of other subjects of the sample. The first of these methodologies has been published in Computers and Industrial Engineering, whereas the second one has been submitted for publication. The outline of this PhD report is as follows: Chapter 1 reviews the state of the art of Ergonomics and Anthropometry and introduces the anthropometric survey of the Spanish female population. Chapter 2 presents the trimowa, biclustAnthropom and hipamAnthropom methodologies. In Chapter 3 the kmeansProcrustes proposal is detailed. The TDDclust methodology is explained in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 presents the two methodologies related to the archetypal analysis. Since all these contributions have been programmed in the statistical software R, Chapter 6 presents the Anthropometry R package, that brings together all the algorithms associated with each approach. In this way, from Chapter 2 to Chapter 6 all the methodologies and results included in this PhD thesis are presented. At last, Chapter 7 provides the most important conclusions

Adjustment of Virtual Mannequins through Anthropometric Measurements, Cluster Analysis and Content-based Retrieval of 3-D Body Scans

Computer generated models of the human body generally do not adequately model the complex human morphology. These models therefore do not reflect the anthropometric realities and are not specific enough for commercial use. This paper presents an approach to adjust virtual models through the use of body measurements as obtained from an anthropometric data set. In this approach, the measurements are used to group three-dimensional body scans, obtained using precise opto-electronic measurement devices, into clusters. The virtual mannequins are then adjusted by using the measurements of nearest cluster member. In this way, realistic, accurate virtual mannequins are created.De mani\ue8re g\ue9n\ue9rale, les mod\ue8les du corps humain g\ue9n\ue9r\ue9s par ordinateur ne mod\ue9lisent pas ad\ue9quatement la morphologie complexe des humains. Ces mod\ue8les ne correspondent donc pas aux r\ue9alit\ue9s anthropom\ue9triques et ne sont pas suffisamment sp\ue9cifiques pour une utilisation commerciale. Cet article pr\ue9sente une approche permettant d'ajuster les mod\ue8les virtuels en ayant recours aux mesures du corps obtenues \ue0 partir d'un jeu de donn\ue9es anthropom\ue9triques. Dans cette approche, les mesures sont utilis\ue9es afin de grouper en grappes les balayages tridimensionnels du corps obtenus au moyen de dispositifs de mesure opto\ue9lectroniques de pr\ue9cision. Les mannequins virtuels sont ensuite ajust\ue9s en utilisant les mesures du membre de la grappe la plus proche. Il est ainsi possible de cr\ue9er des mannequins r\ue9alistes et pr\ue9cis.NRC publication: Ye