Virtual Mannequins Help Improve Ergonomic Design of Future Automobiles Published Dec. 4, 2006 By Human Effectiveness Directorate AFRL/HE WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Ford Motor Company has adopted an AFRL-developed multivariate case method to establish an automotive-industry first--a set of nine computer-aided design (CAD)-created virtual mannequins modeled after representative human body characteristics. Ford is using the virtual human mannequins to assist its automotive ergonomists in meeting the demands of a physically larger public. Ford used data and three-dimensional (3-D) scans from CAESAR, AFRL's Civilian American and European Surface Anthropometry Resource database, to create the 3-D models. The CAD-created mannequins represent males and females with varying body shapes and sizes, including characteristics such as high body mass index (a measurement that takes into account a person's age and weight), wide hips and shoulders, long legs, short legs, long arms, short arms, and various combinations. Designers are able to position the virtual mannequins to examine their interactions with the environment and adjust accordingly.