by John Schutte
Scientists at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Human Effectiveness Directorate are dressing up clothing manufacturers with new technology that could alter how the fashion industry sizes its clothing lines and give consumers a better fit in off-the-rack clothes. The Civilian American and European Surface Anthropometry Resource (CAESAR) database contains 3-D body measurements of non-military men and women of various weights, shapes and sizes, ages 18 to 65, plus 40 hands-on measurements of each person. Using a state-of-the-art, 3-D, full-body scanner, researchers gathered civilian data in four North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, the United States, Canada, Italy and The Netherlands, to create CAESAR, resulting in a more universal database from which researchers can pull relevant information regardless of current soldier size requirements. With CAESAR data being used on military projects, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) pilot flight suits and equipment, AFRL now is cultivating opportunities to transfer the technology to commercial clothing makers. Cecelia Mitchell, a research scientist who operates the 3-D scanner in the Biosciences and Protection Division, Biomechanics Branch, said that CAESAR’s complete 3-D data can help manufacturers revamp antiquated sizing methods, especially for women’s wear. In women’s fashion, today’s sizing systems originate from data collected 65 years ago on mostly young Caucasian military women. Standard sizes were defined, but clothing makers still evolved unique systems for their ideal target customers, based on a single "fit model." A fit model typically is a size 8-10 female who serves as a baseline from which other sizes are graded. “The advantage of 3-D data is seeing different shapes and extracting additional measurements,” Ms. Mitchell said. “We placed 72 stickers on anatomical landmarks on the body prior to scanning, so now we can go in and extract additional measurements whenever we need to.” Some clothiers use 3-D scans to make custom clothing, as Brooks Brothers does for suits. But AFRL’s current partnership with Gap, Inc. marks the first time AFRL is consulting with a manufacturer to improve the fit of ready-to-wear clothing lines. “We’re just starting to move into the clothing industry and make contacts with companies who are interested in improving their fit,” Ms. Mitchell said. “We want to show them how they can use the database so they can target a certain population for their product.” Other 3-D databases are available, but CAESAR was the first and remains the only database that offers the 3-D models to designers, showing important body shape information and giving the apparel maker a competitive edge. Two people with identical hip measurements could have very different shapes, Ms. Mitchell said, which designers must account for if clothes are to fit well. “Working with humans is a lot different than working with auto parts on a production line,” said Dr. Kath Robinette, who directed the CAESAR project. “We can’t specify our body size and shape in the production process. But we can figure out how to deal with human variability, and that’s how we can help clothing manufacturers.” The CAESAR data are also used by automakers and aircraft designers to design more accommodating car interiors and airplane cockpits. AFRL specialists can work with private industry through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), the same way that General Dynamics staffs the Computerized Anthropometric Research and Design (CARD) laboratory that houses the 3-D scanner. CAESAR was created through a CRADA involving the Human Effectiveness Directorate, the Society of Automotive Engineers International (SAE), and more than 30 partners, including apparel makers Gap, Inc. and Levi Strauss & Company; defense contractor The Boeing Company; tractor manufacturer Case Corporation; and automaker Ford Motor Company. CAESAR will be available free to the public in 2007. In preparation, Dr. Robinette is compiling a textbook, and software engineers are busy fine-tuning an easy-to-use graphical interface. Ultimately, users will be able to access multiple 3-D databases through the CAESAR interface, Ms. Mitchell said.
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