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Roland Lippmann
The only way how ergonomics software developers can hold a firm ground on the highly
limited market of computer aided tools of analysis is either to have the relentless backing of a powerful and influential lobby or to be able to attract attention by the fact that they continuously develop their
programs in order to meet the ever changing requirements of users , by translating users´ requirements into new program functions.
The goals and directions of the development of human-model systems, that up
till now have stood the trial of everyday use, have been determined by objectiv factors, such as the efficiency of hardware, the methods of program writing, the financial strategies and, most importantly, the
different interests groups, a few prominent experts speaking up for one of those interests groups. When these groups, that generally consist of software developers, users and customers (companies, federations and
the armed forces),
take their decisions they try to make prevale their own interests and though during the decision-making have to consider rational arguments, in the same time they may be influenced by emotional factors too. Company or federation politics has to be taken into account as well as the substance of the development of ergonomics-tool has to be determined. How this development will take place, if at all, is in some cases determined by the market itself. Indeed, if in the future the universities will not include in their program with more emphasis the training of computer aided ergonomics methods and the industry will not readily use human-models and appriciate their efficiency, the development of these tools will be seriously delayed or totally stopped by lack of sufficient financial means.
Shall we suppose however that the groups that have up till now, in different ways and with different intentions, influenced the process of development continue to be activ in the future than we can be almost
certain that important decisions will be taken by exlusievly those who, either as being the one who has placed the order or being the user, by their financial power will be in position to determine the content and
quality of ergonomics products. It can have the dangerous consequence that the software developers willl be downgraded to the extent that they merely have to carry out what has been decided and their influence on
the content and on the applied methods will diminish. It is only matter of time to take a further step and delegate the task to a country, where the cost of manpower is low.
Since for many years the IST
Gmbh has provided itself the financial means for his own research programs, the Gmbh is only partly influenced by the above mentioned general phenomena. The present variety of efficient program functions is the
result of a continuous development strategy which has been exclusievly determined by software experts and users. Interests groups and sponsors have not been involved, their part in the decision-making has been taken
over on the free-software market by the users.
The intense contact with them makes us believe that the users not only will have a greater influence on the development of ergonomics-tools in the future but
they will also be able to divert the development of program contents, interaction processes and analysis methods in a totally different direction from that of the previous decades. The new economic creed: „to
produce more and more using less manpower and consumig less time“ and the only understandable standpoint of the employees involved: „to produce more as it has been required up till now only if it is better paid“
together have triggerd an economic bomb. There is an urgent need to make up for the deficit in time and personal that has been created by these economic commandments, and it is only possible by intensified search
for new tools. By the application of partly or fully automated procedures it has already succeded in many production departments. However if we want the same effect in the field of design and development we will
have to solve problems that we do not come across in the field of production and that in the case of the, for many years so enthusiastically advocated, Mock-up philosophy particularly clearly appear. Here we base
our reasoning on the hypothesis that the ideal condition, that at the first sight to everybody seems to be obvious, subsists and complex products can be planned and constructed virtually in every detail with the aid
of one to the network connected computer unit, and that is so independently from the number of persons who take part in the planning process and independently from the number of workstations.Our further aim is to
test, with the aid of the same medium, already bevor the prototype phase the workability of manufacturing and the practicability of the product when used. Indeed, we want to check in the development stage how the
different parts will fit together and and we have to reveal and eliminate any difficulties those persons may come across who will have to assemble the different parts in confined spaces. If those methods met the
above mentioned expectanions they would certainly be effective means to carry out those rationalizationes we are aiming at (such as the reduction of workforce and the minimization of time and costs during the design
phase).The more complex however the products to be designed and the more numerous and special the performances in hydraulic, electrics and electronics, kinematics, aerodynamics etc. are the more awkward the handling
in the CAD software of the, during the construction phase in intricacy permanently growing, product will be. So it has proved to be a fateful mistake to assume that it is possible to use efficiently the
assembly-technology with its many-faceted access posibilities during a big project, such as that of an airliner or of a helicopter, for all the building units in the construction-medium CAD. As a real-time
performance in CAD is not feasible, constructors are forced to handle the different product units singly and to make avaible the varying units together as a whole product by the aid of a further visualisation
program. Since the ergonomic analysis at least in the case of the assembly and the checking of the workability of maintanace procedures has similarly to be carried out during the general assembly it is required that
human-model systems together with CAD (or exclusively) should be available at the experts disposal in these visualization programs too. The conviction is establishing itself always more firmly that these kind of
utility units of sofware products or product combinations require more performance that it has been put in up till now as far as Plug-in technology is concerned and as a result of it the study of these technics will
require more effort from the users. Unfortunately the demand for always more efficient softwares is opposed by a continuously waning enthusiasm of the users to dedicate themselves to the, because of the elevated
intricacy of software products, inevitably more intens training courses. Software makers try to satisfy these contradictory demands by the fact that they try to involve more competence in the programs and to put
further automatic analysis, by which it is posible to replace the ergonomics expert, at the users disposal. The reduction of users´inputs and in the same time the increase in the number of required outputs, which
are the results of a more comprehensive analysis, necessitate the standardization of the handling process and of the analysis results as well. There is the danger involved in standardization that the range of
possible questions and answers will be resticted to the by the standard provided ones. The users´free imagination will be paralysed and it will not be possible to ask from the task naturally emerging but not
standardized questions. In extrem case a ready-made ergonmics will be supported which can not be our objectiv. Since
the requirements that these softwares must meet depend on the needs of those who have given the commission and on the needs of the users, they have to find ways together in order to make up for the loss of quality which has been triggered by the simplification of programs.
The industry requires always more often from those responsible for economics
a tool which should be able to carry out ergonomic analysis by merely pressing a button. It would certainly be a welcome tool for constructors who are under increasing time-pressure and generally do not have even the basic skills in the field of economics.
Programs that could carry out analysis partly automatically and that we should accept as ´expert systems´ would be similarly useful to the from permanent time-deficit suffering students of the university
departments of
mechanical engeneering and industrial design, provided that ergonomics is included at all in their training program. Wheter beyond in the foreground standing gain in time and the less effort requiring analysis-stereotypes also the competence and creativ thinking will be supported nobody can predict at the time being. It is however certain that if users rely repeatedly or totally on the exclusiv competence of the analysis programs than only a part of the varying construction possibilities will remain and they will consequently be downgraded to the level of an operator whose only task is to execute different program moduls. Beyond all apprehension about the indicated directions of development let us make the positive remark that if all expert competence were attributed to the software products than the number of those who use computer aided ergonomics products would sharply increase and consequently the price of on the market newly introduced products would significantly go down.
Guided by the demands and ideas of actual and potential users, the IST-team has based the development of the ergonomics software ANTHROPOS on the trends that have been discernible up till now. The main
points in the focus of development have to be adjusted to the needs of users in a way that the required simplification of the handling of complex products should be carried out and in the same time experts of
ergonomics, who want to use the whole scale of
program performances, should be allowed ample freedom when handling the system. If it was successfully done than the human-model system would be, without loss of quality as far as ergonomics is concerned, an ideal tool for laymen in the field of ergonomics and professionals alike.
Taking into account all those users´needs that we know of and considering what is according to our experience workable in the near future we arrive to the following development-raster for the ergonomics
software ANTHROPOS:
Retention and further elaboration of the three pillars of application:
Ergonomics (CAD) Visualization Virtual Reality
Perfection of application-techniques in connection with the CAD-systems
Auto-CAD and CADKEY, CADDS and CATIA
Further Standalon versions for special
high graphic-performance hardwares including varying motion capturing technologies. Performance-enhancement regarding the scale of provided models and the biomechanically accurate animation in the case of plug-ins of 3D Studio MAX and of other visualization programs including one autonomous motion-system. Extention of the whole VR-technology to the virtual assembly in order to introduce the digital mock-up philosophy on the level of integrated design-consepts. Further development of a successful method to integrate external programs (especially from the field of measurement technique) and to provide the possibility of their simultaneous use together with ANTHROPOS and the corresponding CAD-, Visualization- or VR-program. Development of individual modules that may fulfil the from varying fields (such as the scientifical study of sport, rehabilitation, the research of accidents and the safety of working conditions) emerging special needs of the users. The establishment of relations with a powerful financial group that would be able to provide financial support and optimization of a special tool for documentation of dynamic processes in the field of the in aviation and automotiv industry applied ergonomics. 3D Cliparttool that enables the complition of simpler ergonomic analisys The development program will be carried out by the ANTHROPOS-Team of the IST Gmbh, 6864 Gross-Rohrheim, and by efficient partners. The development of the three different pillars of the ergonomics system: CAD, Visualization and VR and that of the special tasks will be determined in the coming three years by the following crucial points: integration of new anthropometrical data; improvement of the simulation of autonomous motions, including running and climbing of stairs, with consideration of varying gravity forces; integration in the system of animation methods that are typical in the field of sport and rehabilitation; inverse dynamics; editing of further physical disabilities; improved analysis of bodily positions also with consideration of a time-axis; special modul for lifting and carrying of loads; calculation of time consumation in assembly situations; acoustically controlled user interface; improvement of databus technology.
We have set our goals and have layed down the ways how we want to reach them on a firm professional basis. It is our heart-felt and earnest intention to realise our program. External forces however may have
negativ influences on the development process and in the extrem they may paralyse it totally. We hope that this congress will fulfil ist function to further the establishment of new professional relations and we
firmly belive that it will help us to find more friends and supporters to the computer aided analysis methods of ergonomics and the computer aided study of work-safety.
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