Current Position of Equipped Anthropometric Data Research for the Australian Warfighter and Future Areas of Work – December 2016

Abstract

Traditional anthropometric data are typically gathered from semi-nude subjects; therefore it is important, when required, to apply a correction factor to include additional size which would be introduced by the clothing or equipment worn by the subject. The Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group identified the need to supplement anthropometric data from the Australian Warfighter Anthropometric Survey (AWAS) with Personal Equipment and Clothing Correction Factors (PECCFs) to ensure a more realistic representation of the equipped soldier. A program of work has been conducted by DST Group to develop PECCFs as well as the methodology used to collect PECCFs. The intention of this document is to provide a summary of the work that has been conducted to-date and identify future areas of work/collaboration in equipped anthropometry.

Executive Summary

Traditional anthropometric data are typically gathered from semi-nude subjects; therefore it is important, when required, to apply a correction factor to include additional size which would be introduced by the clothing or equipment worn by the subject. Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group identified the need to supplement anthropometric data from the Australian Warfighter Anthropometric Survey (AWAS) with Personal Equipment and Clothing Correction Factors (PECCFs) to ensure a more realistic representation of the equipped soldier. A program of work has been conducted by DST Group to develop PECCFs as well as the methodology used to collect PECCFs. The intention of this document is to provide a summary of the work that has been conducted to-date and identify future areas of work/collaboration in equipped anthropometry.

The work conducted comprised:

1. A meta-analysis of current clothing and equipment factor data and its relevance to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) was conducted by Land Division (LD) in 2011.
2. A pilot study was conducted by DST Group in 2012 with three aims:
1. to derive PECCFs for immediate application to AWAS data
2. to assess the feasibility of using 3D scanning technology to derive PECCFs
3. to develop a robust methodology for use in future surveys.

The PECCFs calculated from the pilot study were incorporated into the Preliminary Anthropometric Standard for Australian Army Equipment Evaluation and used to develop Digital Human Models.

3. To further the work on developing the equipped anthropometric survey methodology and derive additional PECCFs, a work package was set up with the School of Health Sciences at the University of South Australia (SA). The aims of this work were to:
1. Recommend modifications to anthropometric measurement equipment to improve the ease and accuracy of using the equipment on equipped anthropometric measures.
2. Develop the equipped anthropometric survey methodology based on lessons learnt from the pilot study, the modified anthropometric measurement equipment and an improved measurement collection spreadsheet.
3. Conduct a confirmation survey to test the developed methodology andgather additional, and modified, measures which were not captured in thepilot study as well as an additional Soldier Combat Ensemble (SCE) condition where a belt rig is worn.
4. Write a protocol for obtaining all defined equipped measures andsubsequent PECCFs.

DST Group currently has a set of PECCFs included in the Preliminary Anthropometric Standard for Australian Army Equipment Evaluation and additional PECCFs derived through the University of SA equipped anthropometric survey should be incorporated into the next iteration of the anthropometric Technical Report/DEF(AUST). Based on the outcomes from the DST Group pilot study and the University of SA there are future areas of research surrounding sample size, modification to depth measurements, clothing thickness, T-Pose scans, constant tension girth tape, postural assessment, inter-tester TEM, DHM evaluation, and 3D scanner for compression measures.