Developing anthropometrics competency-based learning with a simplified CAD model of a person

Abstract: In today's competitive markets, companies must prioritize user needs to ensure the preference and recommendation of their products. This paper explores the evolution of product development from Raymond Loewy's era to modern times, emphasizing the crucial role of ergonomic factors for both end users and labor workers. Today, as we navigate highly competitive markets, the preference and recommendation of a company's products over competitors' offerings lie in the hands of discerning consumers. The journey from pioneers era to the present has witnessed a paradigm shift, where the development of materials, aesthetics, and, most critically, human factors, has become instrumental not only for end-users but also for the well-being of labor workers.Modern engineers face the challenge of considering not only customer desires but also essential human factors that impact product usability and overall user experience. Human factors, encompassing physiological, psychological, cognitive, and organizational aspects, have become pivotal in product design since the industrial era. Ergonomics and anthropometrics play a key role in physical product and workstation design, influencing comfort, safety, and long-term health. The importance of realize and connect with reality how software can not only simplify the task but also help to develop better models and prototypes considering design aspects and developing a systematical thinking is relevant for the activity developed at class and the one we discuss.This study emphasizes the significance of incorporating these factors into the design process, employing a human-centered design approach. Through the use of some Computer-Aided Design models requiring the adaptation of the team's measurements, this paper emphasizes the importance of bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application in mechatronic engineering education. By integrating anthropometric design activities in their undergraduate junior year, students can develop a deeper understanding of human factors, contributing to their preparedness for the dynamic challenges of the industry. This approach not only enhances students' academic journey but also fosters a systematic design mindset, prompting reflection on the 'why' of design creation alongside the 'how.'To validate the results, students filled-up an entry and an exit survey in a Likert-Scale. This survey focused on the understanding and empowerment of human factors in product design. Looking at the data we identified that while most students marked a higher empowerment in relation to the entry survey, some of them indicated a lower value possibly due to the fact that they realized that accounting for human factors is more complicated than what they originally thought. Academically, new generations of students would benefit from these practices where they would be able to connect with the principal requirements for product, service or system design that are in their immediate environment and from where they could obtain the principal insights assists by accurate software. Professionally, future professionals and the industry will complement each other to work together and make the better for the human needs in an industry that is constantly growing and that needs to consider every aspect of human life; therefore the use and development of anthropometric aspects would be consider as a medullar part of human centered design and how design and engineering converse in an universe where both are disciplines that can converge in and out a classroom. From exercises like the one presented here our graduates will be adept in the agile management of multidisciplinary projects, showcasing their versatility and capacity to navigate the complexities inherent in collaborative endeavors.

Keywords: Design, Anthropometrics, Educative Innovation, Higher Education, Technology, Competency-based learning

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1005185

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