Aesthetics, Design, and Product Development

Statistical Human Body Form Classification: Methodology Development and Application

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Abstract

Classification of objects is an exercise deeply rooted in the human psyche (Costa & Cesar, 2001). Humans mentally apply classification techniques to almost every object we see. Constructs like size, build, shape, and form are used when we visually analyze and classify the human body. Our minds are well suited to process a few bodies at a time but can be limited when tasked with processing large numbers of subjects. It is important to obtain meaningful classifications of body form for specific samples because form is closely related to the design of products that fit the human body (Bye, LaBat, & DeLong, 2006). This study intended to develop a statistical human body form classification methodology and apply that methodology to a sample of 117 male subject’s 3D body scan data.

Keywords: human body form, body scanning, cluster analysis, somatotypes

How to Cite:

Cottle, F. S., Anderson-Connell, L. J., Ulrich, P. V. & Teel, K. P., (2012) “Statistical Human Body Form Classification: Methodology Development and Application”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 69(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.17234