The most comprehensive human-body measurement survey continues through July 8 at the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. Ottawa is the seventh site for the project's survey team and the first outside the United States. Transport Canada, headquartered in Ottawa, develops and administers policies, regulations and services for the Canadian transportation system. Developed by Cyberware Inc., Monterey, Calif., for the CARD laboratory, the whole-body scanner captures the shape of the entire human body in 17 seconds with a single scan. A participant stands on a platform while the scanner projects a strip of eye-safe laser light onto them.
Cameras view the laser light to digitize the subject.
The result is a precise 3-D image. The scanner gives researchers the ability to collect thousands of human body measurements more quickly and comprehensively than previously could be accomplished. Past human-body surveys used traditional tools, such as tape measures, to gather only limited measurement information. The data also will assist the automobile industry in producing better car seats, driver and passenger visibility, and instrument-panel layouts. In addition, the apparel industry is interested in scanning customers to produce affordable, custom-tailored clothing.