Applications and research trends of digital human models in the manufacturing industry

Virtual reality (VR) has been widely used in various manufacturing industries, and VR-based virtual manufacturing has received significant attention in the current intelligent manufacturing era. Digital human models (DHMs) are essential for virtual manufacturing applications. Additionally, researchi...

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Main Authors: Wenmin Zhu, Xiumin Fan, Yanxin Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2019-12-01
Series:Virtual Reality & Intelligent Hardware
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096579619300828
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author Wenmin Zhu
Xiumin Fan
Yanxin Zhang
author_facet Wenmin Zhu
Xiumin Fan
Yanxin Zhang
author_sort Wenmin Zhu
collection DOAJ
description Virtual reality (VR) has been widely used in various manufacturing industries, and VR-based virtual manufacturing has received significant attention in the current intelligent manufacturing era. Digital human models (DHMs) are essential for virtual manufacturing applications. Additionally, researching new applications of DHMs has developed into an important academic research field. This paper aims to identify the applications and research trends of DHMs in the manufacturing industry and to provide a reference for the continued development of virtual manufacturing and DHMs. We selected a total of 49 related articles from a large number of articles published between 2014 and 2019. The applications of DHMs in the manufacturing industry are analyzed from different perspectives and various relevant technical limitations are discussed. The results indicate that the applications of DHMs differ significantly between different types of fields. The automotive industry is the main application field for DHMs, and assembly/maintenance simulations and evaluations are the main application types. Additionally, there are still some limitations in the establishment of virtual environments, motion control, and DHM evaluation that should be addressed. Finally, research trends in the application of DHMs are illustrated and discussed, including the planning and assessment of human-robot collaboration systems, the combination of DHMs and augmented reality, and improved motion planning for DHMs. In summary, the application of DHMs can improve the realism and effectiveness of virtual manufacturing, and DHMs will be more widely and deeply studied and applied in various manufacturing industries in the near future. Keywords: Virtual reality, Digital human models, Virtual manufacturing, Human factors/ergonomics evaluation, Posture and motion control
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spelling doaj.art-7ea6f2f8ae024d599d66380f619f3b842022-12-21T18:15:32ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Virtual Reality & Intelligent Hardware2096-57962019-12-0116558579Applications and research trends of digital human models in the manufacturing industryWenmin Zhu0Xiumin Fan1Yanxin Zhang2School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Shanghai 200240, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Shanghai 200240, China; Corresponding author.Department of Exercise Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New ZealandVirtual reality (VR) has been widely used in various manufacturing industries, and VR-based virtual manufacturing has received significant attention in the current intelligent manufacturing era. Digital human models (DHMs) are essential for virtual manufacturing applications. Additionally, researching new applications of DHMs has developed into an important academic research field. This paper aims to identify the applications and research trends of DHMs in the manufacturing industry and to provide a reference for the continued development of virtual manufacturing and DHMs. We selected a total of 49 related articles from a large number of articles published between 2014 and 2019. The applications of DHMs in the manufacturing industry are analyzed from different perspectives and various relevant technical limitations are discussed. The results indicate that the applications of DHMs differ significantly between different types of fields. The automotive industry is the main application field for DHMs, and assembly/maintenance simulations and evaluations are the main application types. Additionally, there are still some limitations in the establishment of virtual environments, motion control, and DHM evaluation that should be addressed. Finally, research trends in the application of DHMs are illustrated and discussed, including the planning and assessment of human-robot collaboration systems, the combination of DHMs and augmented reality, and improved motion planning for DHMs. In summary, the application of DHMs can improve the realism and effectiveness of virtual manufacturing, and DHMs will be more widely and deeply studied and applied in various manufacturing industries in the near future. Keywords: Virtual reality, Digital human models, Virtual manufacturing, Human factors/ergonomics evaluation, Posture and motion controlhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096579619300828
spellingShingle Wenmin Zhu
Xiumin Fan
Yanxin Zhang
Applications and research trends of digital human models in the manufacturing industry
Virtual Reality & Intelligent Hardware
title Applications and research trends of digital human models in the manufacturing industry
title_full Applications and research trends of digital human models in the manufacturing industry
title_fullStr Applications and research trends of digital human models in the manufacturing industry
title_full_unstemmed Applications and research trends of digital human models in the manufacturing industry
title_short Applications and research trends of digital human models in the manufacturing industry
title_sort applications and research trends of digital human models in the manufacturing industry
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096579619300828
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