An approach to designing an ergnomic handheld 3D laser scanner

Abstract

Due to ever higher quality and safety standards, the demands on the flexibility of 3D scanners are also growing. Mobile scanning is particularly interesting for confined situations.The need for a hand-held product with which the user should be able to work comfortably for as long as possible expands the interest of a technical advance by the need for good ergonomics. While a team of engineers from ZEISS oversaw the technical implementation, industrial designers were brought into the process to support the ergonomic implementation and the adaptation to the corporate design of the ZEISS company.Taking anthropometric data into account, various options were first identified to enable good ergonomics that take into account the existing technical conditions of the prototype for the optical measurement sensor. More than 60 physical concept models in the actual scale of the sensor, some of them built only as a partial area, characterize the process flow. The models were implemented from semi-finished products, cardboard, Styrofoam or clay and in some cases weights were added. The large number of models made it possible to find the best possible grip concepts for the sensor. By having a real, tangible artifact, the application of ergonomic guiding principles could be well explained to the team. By evaluating it with their own experience, the interdisciplinary team was able to collaborate at eye level. The development of the models was supplemented by computer-aided design, VR models, 3D prints, and prototypes.Subjective acceptance tests were conducted with all models, as well as qualitative interviews with potential users. Of course, these continuous testing cycles included hand sizes of different sizes to accommodate the widest possible user group. In addition, new people were regularly introduced into the circle of test subjects in order to avoid the typical phenomenon of 'burnt users' emerging. As a result of the high number of models, very valid statements could be made about the smallest changes.Due to years of collaboration between engineering and design and the corresponding trust between the disciplines, the process was able to be dynamic and communicative. Weekly meetings and interdisciplinary workshops resulted in a large number of ergonomic variants being discussed and recombined and improved. The relationship of trust between the disciplines also meant that the 'childlike curiosity'' of all those involved in the process could be encouraged and even unusual ideas could be developed and tested. The design team also developed usability and interaction concepts for the operation of the hand-held sensor. Two-dimensional representations of workflows and click dummies supported the process.

Keywords: user centered design process, engineering design, prototyping, ergonomic models

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1003398