The area of simulated human figures is an active research area in computer graphics, and Norman Badler's group at the University of Pennsylvania is one of the leaders in the field. This book summarizes the state of the art in simulating human figures, discusses many of the interesting application areas, and makes some assumptions and predictions about where the field is going.

Simulate realistic human motion in a virtual world with an optimization-based approach to motion prediction. With this approach, motion is governed by human performance measures, such as speed and energy, which act as objective functions to be optimized. Constraints on joint torques and angles are imposed quite easily. Predicting motion in this way allows one to use avatars to study how and why humans move the way they do, given specific scenarios. It also enables avatars to react to infinitely many scenarios with substantial autonomy. With this approach it is possible to predict dynamic motion without having to integrate equations of motion -- rather than solving equations of motion, this approach solves for a continuous time-dependent curve characterizing joint variables (also called joint profiles) for every degree of freedom. - Introduces rigorous mathematical methods for digital human modelling and simulation - Focuses on understanding and representing spatial relationships (3D) of biomechanics - Develops an innovative optimization-based approach to predicting human movement - Extensively illustrated with 3D images of simulated human motion (full color in the ebook version)

During the past decade, high-performance computer graphics have found application in an exciting and expanding range of new domains. Among the most dramatic developments has been the incorporation of real-time interactive manipulation and display for human figures. Though actively pursued by several research groups, the problem of providing a synthetic or surrogate human for engineers and designers already familiar with computer-aided design techniques was most comprehensively solved by Norman Badler's computer graphics laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. The breadth of that effort as well as the details of its methodology and software environment are presented in this volume. The book is intended for human factors engineers interested in understanding how a computer-graphics surrogate human can augment their analyses of designed environments. It will also inform design engineers of the state of the art in human figure modeling, and hence of the human-centered design central to the emergent concept of concurrent engineering. In fulfilling these goals, the book additionally documents for the entire computer graphics community a major research effort in the interactive control of articulated human figures.

Discussing issues and concepts relating to human factors in simulation, this book covers theory and application in fields such as space, ships, submarines, naval aviation, and commercial aviation. The authors develop and expand on concepts in simulator usage particularly specific characteristics and issues of simulation and their effect on the validity and functionality of simulators as a training device. The chapters contain in depth discussions of these particular characteristics and issues. They also incorporate theories pertaining to the motivational aspects of training, simulation of social events, and PC based simulation.

Human-in-the-Loop Simulations is a compilation of articles from experts in the design, development, and use of human-in-the-loop simulations. The first section of the handbook consists of papers on fundamental concepts in human-in-the-loop simulations, such as object-oriented simulation development, interface design and development, and performance measurement. The second section includes papers from researchers who utilized HITL simulations to inform models of cognitive processes to include decision making and metacognition. The last section describes human-in-the-loop processes for complex simulation models in trade space exploration and epidemiological analyses. Human-in-the-Loop Simulations is a useful tool for multiple audiences, including graduate students and researchers in engineering and computer science.

Derived from the conference submissions for the 2012 AHFE conference, this volume focuses on types of human-modeled technology. Topics include digital human model types, 3D scanning, human patterns in terms of physiological and psychological interactions, including human algorithms that aim to model human forms, interactions, and dynamics. It also covers validation of digital human modes and the exploration of future of human models. This book is for Human factors and ergonomics engineers, cognitive engineers, human computer interaction engineers, human performance modeling engineers, and students in related fields.

An examination of the various types of human-modeled technology, Advances in Applied Human Modeling and Simulation not only covers the type of models available, but how they can be applied to solve specific problems. These models provide a representation of some human aspects that can be inserted into simulations or virtual environments and facilitate prediction of safety, satisfaction, usability, performance, and sustainability. Topics include: Anthropometry and human functional data Biomechanics, occupational safety, comfort and discomfort Biometric authentications Driving safety and human performance Enhancing human capabilities through aids or training Fuzzy systems and neural computing Human behavior and risk assessment modeling Integrating software with humans and systems International cooperation in education and engineering research Intelligent agents in decision training Intelligent data and text mining Machine learning and human factors Modeling physical aspects of work Monitoring systems and human decision Psychophysiological indicators of emotion Resilience engineering and human reliability Scenario-based performance in distributed enterprises Special populations Sustainability, earth sciences and engineering System-of-systems architecting and engineering Verification and validation Virtual interactive design and assessment The math and science provides a foundation for visualizations that can facilitate decision making by technical experts, management or those responsible for public policy. In considering a systems perspective and decisions that affect performance, these models provide opportunities for an expanded role of engineers and HF/E specialists to meet technical challenges worldwide. They can also be used to improve time-to-market, increase safety and ultimately the effectiveness of an organization. The book focuses on applications of these newly developed models and predictive capabilities useful to human factors and ergonomics engineers, cognitive engineers, human computer interaction engineers, human performance modeling engineers, and students in related fields.

The development of populations over time, and, on longer timescales, the evolution of species, are both influenced by a complex of interacting, underlying processes. Computer simulation provides a means of experimenting within an idealised framework to allow aspects of these processes and their interactions to be isolated, controlled, and understood. In this book, computer simulation is used to model migration, extinction, fossilisation, interbreeding, selection and non-hereditary effects in the context of human populations and the observed distribution of fossil and current hominoid species. The simulations described enable the visualisation and study of lineages, genetic diversity in populations, character diversity across species and the accuracy of reconstructions, allowing insights into human evolution and the origins of humankind for graduate students and researchers in the fields of physical anthropology, human evolution, and human genetics.

The Halden Man-Machine Laboratory (HAMMLAB) has been at the heart of human factors research at the OECD Halden Reactor Project (HRP). The HRP is sponsored by a group of national organizations, representing nuclear power plant regulators, utilities, and research institutions. The HRP is hosted by the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) in Halden, Norway. HAMMLAB comprises three full-scale nuclear power plant control room research simulators. The simulator studies performed in HAMMLAB have traditionally been experimental in nature. In a simulator it is possible to study events as they unfold in real time, in a highly realistic operational environment under partially controlled conditions. This means that a wide range of human factors issues, which would be impossible or highly impracticable to study in real-life settings, can thus be addressed in HAMMLAB. Simulator-based Human Factors Studies Across 25 Years celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of HAMMLAB by reviewing the human factors studies performed in HAMMLAB across this time-span. A range of human factors issues have been addressed, including: • human-system interfaces; • alarm systems; • computerized procedures; • human-automation interaction; • staffing, teamwork and human reliability. The aim of HAMMLAB studies has always been the same: to generate knowledge for solving current and future challenges in nuclear power plant operation to contribute to safety. The outcomes of HAMMLAB studies have been used to support design and assessment of nuclear power plant control rooms.

This book focuses on two issues related to human figures: realtime dynamics computation and interactive motion generation. In spite of the growing interest in human figures as both physical robots and virtual characters, standard algorithms and tools for their kinematics and dynamics computation have not been investigated very much. "Simulating and Generating Motions of Human Figures" presents original algorithms to simulate, analyze, generate and control motions of human figures, all focusing on realtime and interactive computation. The book provides both practical methods for contact/collision simulation essential for the simulation of humanoid robots and virtual characters and a general framework for online, interactive motion generation of human figures based on the dynamics simulation algorithms.