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Anthropometry and biomechanics: theory and application
B©©]X$ AND Anthropometry and biomechanics: theory and application Easterby, R, Kroemer, K H E and Chaffin, D B (eds) NATO Conference Series 1II: Human Factors, Volume 16 Plenum Press, New York, USA (1982)x + 327 pp £34.20
This is an edited collection of the p r o c e e d i n g s of an e p o n y m o u s NATO conference held in July 1980 at Queens College, Cambridge, UK. The primary aims of the conference were to review, consolidate and evaluate recent advances in the closely related fields of anthropometry (the measurement of human physical shape and size) and biomechanics (which is concerned with the composition, mass and mobility of body segments as well as their dimensions). A secondary aim was to provide a source book for researchers and practitioners in the fields of engineering, architecture and industrial design. In all there are 37 papers, mostly American, ranging from detailed experimental reports, through comparative reviews of developments, to broad ranging discussion of limitations, issues and future directions. All but one of the papers are presented in full, in eight sections reflecting the structure of the conference: • • • • • • •
Data acquisition methods Anthropometric data bases Models of anthropometric data Maximum voluntary exertion data Models of biomechanical data Applications (two sections) Future needs and perspectives
Despite the emphasis on data and applications, this is not a cookbook for the hard-pressed designer. There are papers on specific measurement and design projects but they tend to
Volume 5 Number 3 July 1984
be concerned with fairly esoteric subjects such as lower back stress among steel mill workers performing particular tasks, or the design of toe-guards for the pilot ejector system in the USAF F/A-18 fighter plane. Their intended role is to illustrate theoretical and methodological advances rather than provide specific information. The result is a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the state of the art with a strong research bias (29 of the papers were p r o d u c e d by academics) and a distinct military flavour (about a quarter of the papers were sponsored by the US armed forces). Nevertheless, this is not a book that practitioners can afford to ignore, even those working in the civilian sector. The extensive description and evaluation of computer models of human physical characteristics and of computer-aided techniques for data collection, analysis and retrieval alone make it worth buying.
It is a pity that the quality of presentation does not match the exceUence of the book's contents. For £34.20 I would expect more than camera-ready typescript. Nor can shortage of time be an excuse, given the two year delay between the conference and publication. Yet there are signs that the book was edited hurriedly; variations in type faces, and typographical errors such as mistaking dynamic for static strength (see page 129). However, these are minor quibbles. If you thought that anthropometrics meant crude sets of measurements of a few basic dimensions and simple models such as designers' mannikins, then you should read this book. Even if you are well acquainted with the field I am sure you will fred this an invaluable and thought provoking reference work.
Stephen Brown
The trouble with technology: explorations in the process of technological change Macdonald, S, Lamberton, D McL and Mandeville, T D (eds) Frances Pinter, London (1983)
Innovation is the latest buzzword - on the lips of cabinet ministers, economists, designers and technologists alike. But is all innovation necessarily beneficial - - are there not costs as well as benefits, and are these costs and benefits equitably distributed? Is it worth the trouble? According to the editors of this compilation of papers (three economists from the University of Queensland) this book attempts to avoid extreme pessimism or extreme optimism but rather, as they put it, to 'explore the vast middle ground'.
The papers inevitably differ in focus. However the majority of them are concerned with describing, analysing and understanding the innovation process - - with the emphasis not so much on the first stage, invention, but on diffusion, transfer and adoption of ideas. In most cases the authors see innovation as such as a 'good thing' in terms of social and economic progress generally. To a degree then, they adopt a conventional 'managerial' p e r s p e c t i v e seeking to 'improve' the process in functionalist terms, whether in relation to individual companies or nation states. The critical approach focuses on 'impacts' - - with the replacement of
191
This is an edited collection of the p r o c e e d i n g s of an e p o n y m o u s NATO conference held in July 1980 at Queens College, Cambridge, UK. The primary aims of the conference were to review, consolidate and evaluate recent advances in the closely related fields of anthropometry (the measurement of human physical shape and size) and biomechanics (which is concerned with the composition, mass and mobility of body segments as well as their dimensions). A secondary aim was to provide a source book for researchers and practitioners in the fields of engineering, architecture and industrial design. In all there are 37 papers, mostly American, ranging from detailed experimental reports, through comparative reviews of developments, to broad ranging discussion of limitations, issues and future directions. All but one of the papers are presented in full, in eight sections reflecting the structure of the conference: • • • • • • •
Data acquisition methods Anthropometric data bases Models of anthropometric data Maximum voluntary exertion data Models of biomechanical data Applications (two sections) Future needs and perspectives
Despite the emphasis on data and applications, this is not a cookbook for the hard-pressed designer. There are papers on specific measurement and design projects but they tend to
Volume 5 Number 3 July 1984
be concerned with fairly esoteric subjects such as lower back stress among steel mill workers performing particular tasks, or the design of toe-guards for the pilot ejector system in the USAF F/A-18 fighter plane. Their intended role is to illustrate theoretical and methodological advances rather than provide specific information. The result is a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the state of the art with a strong research bias (29 of the papers were p r o d u c e d by academics) and a distinct military flavour (about a quarter of the papers were sponsored by the US armed forces). Nevertheless, this is not a book that practitioners can afford to ignore, even those working in the civilian sector. The extensive description and evaluation of computer models of human physical characteristics and of computer-aided techniques for data collection, analysis and retrieval alone make it worth buying.
It is a pity that the quality of presentation does not match the exceUence of the book's contents. For £34.20 I would expect more than camera-ready typescript. Nor can shortage of time be an excuse, given the two year delay between the conference and publication. Yet there are signs that the book was edited hurriedly; variations in type faces, and typographical errors such as mistaking dynamic for static strength (see page 129). However, these are minor quibbles. If you thought that anthropometrics meant crude sets of measurements of a few basic dimensions and simple models such as designers' mannikins, then you should read this book. Even if you are well acquainted with the field I am sure you will fred this an invaluable and thought provoking reference work.
Stephen Brown
The trouble with technology: explorations in the process of technological change Macdonald, S, Lamberton, D McL and Mandeville, T D (eds) Frances Pinter, London (1983)
Innovation is the latest buzzword - on the lips of cabinet ministers, economists, designers and technologists alike. But is all innovation necessarily beneficial - - are there not costs as well as benefits, and are these costs and benefits equitably distributed? Is it worth the trouble? According to the editors of this compilation of papers (three economists from the University of Queensland) this book attempts to avoid extreme pessimism or extreme optimism but rather, as they put it, to 'explore the vast middle ground'.
The papers inevitably differ in focus. However the majority of them are concerned with describing, analysing and understanding the innovation process - - with the emphasis not so much on the first stage, invention, but on diffusion, transfer and adoption of ideas. In most cases the authors see innovation as such as a 'good thing' in terms of social and economic progress generally. To a degree then, they adopt a conventional 'managerial' p e r s p e c t i v e seeking to 'improve' the process in functionalist terms, whether in relation to individual companies or nation states. The critical approach focuses on 'impacts' - - with the replacement of
191