Facing up to the future
A Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) research team is collecting head and face measurements of Chinese people in a bid to help industrial designers.
With funding of $4.5 million from the DesignSmart Initiative of the government's Innovation and Technology Commission behind them, the SizeChina.com project is conducted by PolyU's School of Design. The survey is headed by assistant professor Roger Ball.
A digital database on the head and face shapes of ethnic Chinese in six mainland provinces and regions will be created by making use of a 360 degree rotary non-contact scanner. Professor Ball said the objective is to help designers make consumer products which fit Chinese as many existing designs are based on Caucasian sizes.
'Understanding human size and shape is the cornerstone for designing successful products,' he said.
'Every consumer product relies on accurate fitting. Designers, engineers and architects need sophisticated digital data on head and face shapes to design the next generation of best-selling products. How well a product fits us is the most important part of any successful design.'
The database can be used to design products, such as face masks, filters and sunglasses for Chinese children.
For adults, products include protective equipment for health care professionals, advanced head-mounted micro-surgery tools, bicycle helmets, helmets for scooters and motorcyclists, protective goggles and headphones.
