What is Anthropometry?
Anthropometry is the study of physical dimensions in people, including the measurement of human body characteristics such as size, breadth, girth, and distance.
Survey Objectives:
MC-ANSUR will develop a comprehensive USMC anthropometric database that can be used to support statistically optimized design, sizing, and tariffing of USMC clothing and equipment; computer aided design of USMC workstations, workspaces, and vehicles; and 3D solid modeling of body curvatures and shapes for enhanced personnel protection. Natick Soldier RD&E Center is part of the Army’s Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) and is located in Natick, Massachusetts.
Marine Payoffs:
- Enhanced safety and performance through better fitting infantry clothing and equipment (ICE) and workstations
- Reduced life cycle costs through enhanced efficiency of sizing systems and ergonomic design criteria
- Reduced risk of human factors failures in fast track acquisitions and innovative exploratory development
The Problem:
- Current tariffs are inaccurate; the USMC has had to purchase extra infantry clothing and equipment (ICE) to accommodate deploying units.
- Sizing systems for different components of the same combat ensemble are incompatible.
- Anthropometric data used for designing ICE for Active Duty and Reserve Marines are no longer valid.
The Challenge:
- There are no statistically valid anthropometric data representative of the current USMC population for design and sizing of ICE.
- Current Army-USMC differences are so great that modeling Marines using updated Army anthropometry would be unwise.
- Currently no 3D data are available for USMC design and modeling applications.
The Solution:
- Conduct a multistage stratified anthropometric survey of Active Duty and Reserve Components.
Survey Data:
- Biographical data (e.g. age, sex, racial/ethnic group, rank, MOS)
- 95 standardized body measurements
- 3D whole body, head/face and foot scans
Quality Control:
- NSRDEC field supervisor and USMC military liaisons on-site at all times
- One measuring team, two measurers per station
- On-site computerized data entry and real time outlier identification
- Inter-observer error checked daily, corrected as necessary
The Products:
- Statistically valid, representative samples of male and female, Active Duty and male Reserve Marines; a total of approximately 3,600 will be measured
- Methods and Summary Statistics Report to be used for requirements development and clothing and equipment design guidance
- Electronic anthropometric databases with subject demographic data, traditional measurements, and 3D scans for each subject
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