ABSTRACT
Digital human models (DHM) have been developed to serve a variety of applications. Engineering human operator workplaces has driven DHM toward accurate models of human shape, articulation, and function. Biomechanics has developed empirical methods for obtaining human motion, torque, force, and energy expenditure that may be used as lookup tables or modeled in procedures or functions. Outside of human factors engineering, however, computer graphics has also been engaged in a relentless pursuit of improvements to human models: obtaining and modeling surface shape, creating realistic joint rotations and body segment deformations, and inventing modeling and rendering (drawing) techniques that aff ect appearance for maximal realism. Beyond surface appearance, moreover, psychological, psychosocial, and cognitive studies of human behavior are fi nding their way into control mechanisms for DHM that make them move as humans do, but also react, decide, behave, feel, and express emotions as real people might. Our intention in this chapter is to examine how some of these domains will infl uence, evolve, and challenge the DHM of the future.
