Anthropometric data of a country is vital database for automotive design and other design applications. It is also an important parameter in population studies. Most developed countries have invested resources over the years to develop such a database and this information is accessed by many OEMs and major Design Houses. However, an updated and comprehensive Anthropometry of Indian Population is largely unknown. In the past, a few institutions have done projects to bring out a picture of the Indian Anthropometry. However, keeping in view the rapid industrialization and increase of India-specific designs which require an access to latest Anthropometric database, the project “SIZE INDIA” has been initiated.
For the first time in India, a state of the art 3D Whole body scanner technology has been used and thereby large volume of data has been generated in a very short span of time. The project will provide 3D whole body scan data and digital images of hand and feet of more than 5000 samples. The subjects sampled are between 18 and 65 years of age and belong to the driving population of the country. Relevant demographic information such as subject's origin, food habits, hygiene, income, types of vehicles driven etc is also collected which helps in studying the influence of these different factors on body sizes.
This paper discusses the methodology adopted to capture the variation in body sizes that exists among different population groups in India. It establishes the steps like data collection, data validation and statistical review for such a survey. The paper brings out the typical trends and results of key anthropometric measures and the variation among different groups. The authors trust that apart from the Automotive Industry, such a database will be of great use not just to many different applications like helmets, furniture design, workplace ergonomics, clothing and accessories and CAD tools.