Early Ethical Assessment: An Application to the Sustainability of Swine Body Scanners

An early ethics assessment method was used to evaluate sustainability goals and early findings from an automated body scanning technology for swine production. The project had twin goals of discovering potential pitfalls in the technology and exploring the applicability of the method, derived from the Ethical Matrix, as a tool to aid researchers in product design at very early stages in the research and development (R&D) process. This paper reports results on the second objective. Results of the evaluation workshop were coded and qualitatively analyzed. These results are reported and compared; the exercise is compared to the findings of other researchers using more traditional methods for ethical assessment on similar technologies, as well as standard social science methods for ascertaining economic sustainability and social acceptability of technological innovations. We conclude that the method has promise, especially for its applicability at very early stages in R&D, but that it does not substitute for analyses that occur at a much later stage in product or procedural development.

Infrared Laser Speckle Projection-Based Multi-Sensor Collaborative Human Body Automatic Scanning System

Human body scanning is an important means to build a digital 3D model of the human body, which is the basis for intelligent clothing production, human obesity analysis, and medical plastic surgery applications, etc. Comparing to commonly used optical scanning technologies such as laser scanning and fringe structured light, infrared laser speckle projection-based 3D scanning technology has the advantages of single-shot, simple control, and avoiding light stimulation to human eyes. In this paper, a multi-sensor collaborative digital human body scanning system based on near-infrared laser speckle projection is proposed, which occupies less than 2 m2 and has a scanning period of about 60 s. Additionally, the system calibration method and control scheme are proposed for the scanning system, and the serial-parallel computing strategy is developed based on the unified computing equipment architecture (CUDA), so as to realize the rapid calculation and automatic registration of local point cloud data. Finally, the effectiveness and time efficiency of the system are evaluated through anthropometric experiments.

DESIGN OF GARMENTS USING ADAPTABLE DIGITAL BODY MODELS

In recent years, the 3D design software has been mostly used to improve the garment design process by generating virtual 3D garment prototypes. Many researchers have been working on the development of 3D virtual garment prototypes using 3D body models and involving the 3D human body scanning in different postures. The focus of research in this field today relies on generating a kinematic 3D body model for the purposes of developing the individualized garments, the exploration of which is presented in this paper. The discussed area is also implemented in the Erasmus+ project OptimTex - Software tools for textile creatives, which is fully aligned with the new trends propelled by the digitization of the whole textile sector. The Slovenian module focuses on presenting the needs of digitization for the development of individualized garments by using different software tools: 3D Sense, PotPlayer, Meshroom, MeshLab, Blender and OptiTex. The module provides four examples: 3D human body scanning using 3D photogrammetry, 3D human body modelling and reconstruction, construction of a kinematic 3D body model and 3D virtual prototyping of individualized smart garments, and thus displays the entire process for the needs of 3D virtual prototyping of individualized garments. In the OptimTex project, the 3D software Blender was used to demonstrate and teach students how to construct the "armature" of the human body as an object for rigging or the virtual skeleton for a 3D kinematic body model, using the knee as an example.

The site of waist measurement impacts the estimation of visceral fat: Results from three-dimensional photonic body scanning

Currently various protocols regarding the site of waist circumference (WC) measurement are in place. This study aimed to analyze the effect of the site of WC measurement on visceral fat (VAT) estimation. WC was obtained at seven anatomical sites in 211 German volunteers (103 males) aged 23-81 using 3-dimensional photonic body scanning (PBS). At one site WC was additionally measured by tape. The quantity of VAT was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Models to estimate VAT based on WC were developed; the precision of the estimation is represented by R2. The influence of the applied method of WC assessment (tape vs. PBS) on the estimations is reported. Results show that the amount of estimated VAT and the precision of VAT estimation were dependent on the site of measurement. VAT was estimated most precisely by WC taken at the level of the lowest rib (WCrib: R²=0.75 females; 0.79 males), the minimum circumference (WCmin: R²=0.75 females; 0.77 males) and at the narrowest part of the torso (WCnar: R²=0.76 females; 0.77 males), and least precisely by WC assessed at the top of iliac crest (WCiliac: R²=0.61 females; 0.60 males). VAT estimates based on WC obtained by PBS were smaller and estimations were slightly less precise compared to estimates based on tape measures. Our results indicate that the method and the site of waist measurement should be considered when estimating VAT based on WC. The implementation of a standardized protocol using either WCrib, WCmin or WCnar could improve the precision of VAT estimation.

Looking professional: How women decide what to wear with and through automated technologies

From innovations such as virtual fit through 3D body scanning, smart clothes, wearable technology and virtual styling assistants to more mundane capabilities such as digital photography and social media, deciding what to wear and how to wear an item is now accompanied by a range of new information and perspectives. This article examines the sociotechnical systems that support everyday decisions about what to wear, and how this decision-making process is being re-imagined in response to technology. Drawing upon closet ethnographies with women in the USA and Australia, we focus upon the ways in which women make decisions about what will help them to ‘look professional’. Specifically, we attend to two key dimensions of the decision-making process – visions and validations – to understand the ways in which women weigh the opinion of other people, media and technologies, and the real and imagined role of how new technologies such as the Amazon Echo Look may be integrated into this process. Through fine-grained analysis of the ways that women receive, reject or ignore information about their performance of looking professional, we reflect upon the relative importance of different technologies in the process of decision-making.

Spiritual Self-Care Management for Nursing Professionals: A Holistic Approach

Among all the groups and occupations that have been affected by the global pandemic, nursing professionals stand out as having been particularly hard-pressed due to the dramatic increase in the need for their services. Given the rising tide of coronavirus disease 2019 patients who require specialized medical treatment as well as the millions of others that are lining up for vaccinations, it can be assumed that many nursing professionals have had to endure such things as longer working hours, tighter schedules, and the intensity of a work environment in which failure of care and multiple deaths are the daily fare. This article proposes that nurses can avoid such severe consequences by taking up a regime of enhanced self-care management that enables them to achieve psychophysical balance and wellness. Three practices are highlighted in this regard: prayer, meditative walking, and the mindfulness practice of body scanning. Our suggestion is that these coping strategies will be both beneficial and healthful for nursing professionals in terms of enhancing their spiritual/existential resilience and meeting their own need for consolation as they navigate in an extremely difficult and demanding work environment.

3D Body Scan as Anthropometric Tool for Individualized Prosthetic Socks

Every year, approximately 3,000 people in Sweden undergo amputation of a body part. The use of a prosthesis can greatly improve the quality of life for these people. To improve the fit and comfort of a prosthesis, a sock is used as an interface between the prosthesis socket and the stump. A three-dimensional (3D) body scanner can be used to take measurements that are used to produce individualized socks that improve fit and comfort. The standardized method for taking measurements with a 3D body scanner often requires a standing position and hence a new scanning method is needed to improve the accessibility for 3D body scanning. This study aimed to create a scanning scenario and an algorithm for scanning amputation stumps for individualizing prosthesis socks for upper-body amputations. Vitronic VITUSSMART LC 3D Body Scanner was used in this study. The results show a seated position with arms slightly away from the body, scanned at 45° as the best. To measure the right upper arm and the left armpit, the best was to scan at a 315° angle. Paired t-tests showed no significant differences compared with the 3D body scanner of traditional manual measurements. The proposed method exhibited good relative reliability and potential to facilitate the customization of prosthetic socks for amputees.

Monitoring dynamic breast measurements obtained from 4D body scanning

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the shape change of breast during movement to inform product development of bras and other female wearable products.Design/methodology/approachUsing the latest 4D body scanning technology, the authors monitored the change of seven non-circumferential breast measurements, including four linear measurements (widths, depth, etc.) and three angular measurements, across nine dynamic scans of a complete gait cycle during running. A series of statistical analysis were conducted to thoroughly investigate the measurement values in dynamic states compared with values extracted from static 3D scans.FindingsMajor findings are as follows: (1) For width-underbust, chest-depth, vertical-acromion and angle ABD, more than half of the dynamic frames presents a significant difference with the static frame. (2) Width-underbust and chest-depth measured in static can underestimate the actual values under motion. (3) vertical-acromion presents a W-shaped general trend for the nine dynamic frames with peaks observed at the keyframes (i.e. when a participant's right or left knee bends the most and rises to its highest level) and lows at the intermediate frames. (4) Angle ABD and angle BAD both present an M-shaped general trend, the exact opposite of a W-shaped trend.Originality/valueWhile 3D body scanning and motion capture systems have both contributed significantly to the study of breast, 4D body scanning incorporates the advantages of both technologies and captures the 3D surface of the body during movement at each instant moment. This is one of the first studies that adopt the new technology for apparel applications.