What is anthropometry?
The study and measurement of dimensions of human body is called as anthropometry. Why measure a human body you ask? There are a lot of reasons. Your clothes, for example: The ready-made garments that you buy have a standard S, M, L, XL sizes but the measurement varies from country, region and race. The design of chairs that you sit on, the design of vehicles that you drive, the design of just about everything has to have an understanding of the dimensions of the human body. Just think about it.
Clothing, industrial design, architecture and ergonomics are all dependent on anthropometry.
Optimization of products based on the region in the world can be done by gathering statistical data of the dimension of human body in a particular demography.
Anthropometric measurements
There may be variations in measuring the human body depending on various aspects and parameters.
Auxology: This is the measurement of human body depending on various stages of growth. This mainly focuses on physical growth of the human body.
Height: Height varies greatly among human beings. Based on demography, the average height of a human body can differ between regions and races. A lot of factors such as the environment, genetics, etc. are responsible for this. The extreme scenarios in this case might lead to gigantic (being too tall) or dwarfism (being too short).
Weight: Thanks to the ways of our modern life these days, weight of a human body can vary largely from individual to individual. Like height, it varies across population and continents.
Organs: Yes, the organs vary too. That’s including male and female genitalia. Not only that, we are also talking about internal organs like heart, lungs, brain, etc.
Aesthetic: Still think beauty is only skin deep or lies in the eyes of the beholder? Think again. We measure physical attractiveness and human beauty in our own way, in our own anthropometric standards. Plastic surgery is one field where this branch of anthropometry plays a huge role.
Measuring instruments
Neuro imaging: To measure a brain if you require a corpse every time, it would have been difficult for science to study neurology. Or, there would have been too many murders in the name of science. Imaging techniques such as MRI have come a long way in helping measuring the brain while keeping the subject, still breathing.
3D body scanners: Since the first scanner made in 2007, 3D body scanners have been very popular in medicinal industry to get a full scan on volume and dimensions of human body. It has helped a lot in the study of body mass index.
Baropodographic: It’s also called as pedobarography. It’s basically the study of pressure point on human foot and how they affect the other organs of the human body. It’s mainly employed to study gait, which is the study of motion of an organic body and how to apply it in sports bio mechanics. It’s also a sought after study in robotics.
Learn anthropometry
Anthropometric analysis has proved its worth in the field of nutrition as well. The research and study from over the years has helped doctors and dietitians determine healthy eating habits that help in keeping the body strong and fit. Learn anthropometry and deepen your knowledge in healthy diet and nutrition.