June 15, 2013. OPTIS, a provider of interactive, real-time physics-based visual decision-making solutions, has launched HIM (Human Interactivity Manikin), enabling ergonomics investigations and lighting and illumination studies on the basis of virtual reality.
HIM enables operators to “enter” and interact with a full-scale 3-D realistic digital model by wearing special goggles or helmet-mounted displays, or they can participate as an avatar (artificial figure) with human dimensions.
HIM benefits from the RHEA (Realistic Human Experiment Analysis) platform development made and finalized by EADS Innovation Works over the past five years. RHEA offers a virtual-reality space for carrying out ergonomics studies on future products and their manufacturing process.
With HIM, OPTIS has added physics-based light and human vision simulation in order to reach an equaled level of realism and accuracy for the selection of design themes plus material and light property specification.
HIM enables the study of the difficulty of the task of an operator via reachability/comfort envelopes based on NF EN-1005-4 and NF EN-1005-5 as well as ISO 11226:2000). This study also includes effort indicators, based on OWAS (Ovako Working posture Assessment System) standards.
Designers, engineers, and ergonomists can take the place of the future pilot, crew member, passenger, or technician to experience various tasks and explore a series of technical solutions by interacting directly with a digital mockup. To ensure that the analysis is pertinent, the application enables the designer to put the product into context by adding external environments and trajectories. A scenario management module completes the platform. A semi‐automatic process transfers even the largest models of CAD data quickly to the VR environment.
Allowing decisions to be taken very early in the design process, this technology can be applied across various industries—whenever taking into account human interaction, human vision, and light interaction with a complete environment is critical to the final design. HIM also enables assembly and maintenance personnel to train on a product that would normally be difficult to access. It can also serve as a collaborative solution across multiple locations.
HIM is based on the 64-bit SimplyCube 3-D real-time simulation engine for highly realistic software applications.