Using a Web-Based Query Engine and Immersive Virtual Reality to Select and View 3D Anthropometry in Vehicle Operator Workstation Design

This paper presents the development and testing of a tool for designing vehicle operator workstations using 3D anthropometry. The tool consists of two major modules: 1) a webbased engine to query a large database of human anthropometry for selecting human operators representative of a specified user population, and 2) an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) software application used to view the selected anthropometry in relation to vehicle CAD designs. This tool allows a designer to view and interact with fully immersive 3D representations of vehicle operator enclosures and controls from typical CAD models along with digital human models selected from the anthropometry database. This environment allows visualization to aid in the trade-off decisions that come between ergonomic and functional (i.e. structural, electrical, etc.) design. The environment makes use of a webbased interface for the querying of a large anthropometric dataset with over 4500 participants. A designer is presented with a rich set of features to build, store, and manage queries using attributes such as height, weight, reach, gender, and occupation to locate pertinent subsets of subjects for a specific vehicle design. A list of subjects obtained from the query engine can then be sent to a VR environment for viewing with vehicle CAD data. This linkage makes the selecting and viewing of subjects seamless. A detailed description of the design problem being addressed, software development, and sample test cases are presented to demonstrate the intuitive nature and ease of use of the environment

Current and future risks of asbestos exposure in the Australian community

© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis GroupBackground: Australia mined asbestos for more than 100 years and manufactured and imported asbestos products. There is a legacy of in situ asbestos throughout the built environment. Methods: The aim of this study was to identify the possible sources of current and future asbestos exposure from the built environment. Telephone interviews with environmental health officers, asbestos removalists, and asbestos assessors in Australia sought information about common asbestos scenarios encountered. Results: There is a considerable amount of asbestos remaining in situ in the Australian built environment. Potential current and future sources of asbestos exposure to the public are from asbestos-containing roofs and fences, unsafe asbestos removal practices, do-it-yourself home renovations and illegal dumping. Conclusion: This research has highlighted a need for consistent approaches in the regulation and enforcement of safe practices for the management and removal of asbestos to ensure that in situ asbestos in the built environment is managed appropriately