If the clothes of normal consumers do not fit properly, this can be unsightly or uncomfortable and perhaps in the worst case lead to a clothing breakdown, but hardly to a personal safety risk. This is different for soldiers – here, ill-fitting clothing and equipment can impair or even sabotage your own safety in an emergency.
That is why the digitization company Avalution from Kaiserslautern, together with the Bundeswehr, has started a 3D series measurement, in which around 2,500 members of the Bundeswehr in the areas of navy, air force, army, armed forces base and medical service are to be measured.
Digitization of soldiers
The aim is to determine and record the body dimensions and body shapes of the participating soldiers using a 3D body scan in order to build up a valid, comprehensive and up-to-date database that will make it possible in the future to develop, among other things, target group-specific clothing and personal equipment and also available in the required quantities.
But not only that – the data collected from the customer-specific 3D series measurement should also be used to create digital test persons (avatars), which should be used in ergonomic analyzes of vehicle interiors in order to adapt the vehicles to the needs of the emergency services in the best possible way.
“Because both short and tall, strong and narrow people must be able to work optimally with their equipment in these vehicles or be transported,” said the parties involved in a statement.
Changes in body measurements over time
The fact that there is currently no up-to-date database on the body measurements and body shapes of Bundeswehr soldiers that could be used to create valid size charts for clothing or personal equipment, for example, is due to the fact that people change over the decades and so statistically grow one centimeter per decade on average. The current 3D series measurement should change this as soon as possible.
“For special target groups, such as the Bundeswehr, it is very important to have up-to-date data available so that the needs of the army members can be taken into account as best as possible during product development, be it clothing or equipment, and the right sizes for the Soldiers of the Bundeswehr are available. Because if the equipment is not properly seated, this can become a safety risk in an emergency,” explains Avalution Managing Director Michael Stöhr in the press release.
“The 3D series measurement represents an essential element in the diverse activities within the framework of the digitization of clothing management in the Bundeswehr. Only with up-to-date and valid data on body dimensions and body shapes can we provide the soldiers with the clothing and personal equipment they need, precisely and in a timely manner and provide them in the right quantities,” adds Carsten Zimmermann, scientist at the Institute for Military Research for Materials and Operating Supplies of the German Armed Forces and project manager for the 3D serial measurement.
2,500 participants at 6 locations
The selection and measurement is not easy, as the data collection should be as representative as possible for all members of the Bundeswehr. The survey stretches over two years and six locations to soldiers of all branches of the armed forces (i.e. navy, air force and army).
At the first location, the naval engineering school in Parow near Stralsund, more than 340 soldiers of the German Navy have already been measured. The next location is the Luftwaffe non-commissioned officer school, the Jürgen Schumann barracks in Appen near Hamburg, where the survey is scheduled to start at the end of this month. Measurements are then planned for the German Army in Munster in autumn 2022. Further surveying locations in 2023 will follow in Cologne/Bonn, Koblenz and Berlin. The entire process takes less than half an hour for all participants.
“The servicemen are three-dimensionally recorded and digitized at the respective measurement location in four postures by a 3D body scanner without contact. In addition to body measurements, sociodemographic information is also recorded in a digital questionnaire. Among other things, this involves data on family background, use within the Bundeswehr, sporting activities and wearing preferences for clothing.
Overall, the 3D serial measurement in the Bundeswehr will last until the end of 2023, after which the results will be evaluated, processed in a database and finally handed over to the Bundeswehr for further use in 2024.