Parametric Technology Corporation, a company out of Needham, Massachusetts that makes engineering design software, is making available for sale a set of virtual manikins, looking very much like the ones in Second Life virtual world. Unlike the ones in the 3-D playland, these manikins are used as a tool to design products and environments with humans in mind, like making work places and devices safer.
From the product page:
New Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Extension
Quickly insert, customize, and manipulate accurate, standards-based 3D human models Generate human reach envelopes and vision cones to understand what limitations may exist in your design Gain a user’s perspective of your product by using the Fly To View capability Leverage time-saving libraries of global populations and manikin postures to quickly build manikin scenarios Ensure conformance with safety and ergonomic standards New Pro/ENGINEER Manikin Analysis Extension
Simulate, communicate and optimize manual handling tasks such as lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling and carrying Analyze designs faster with simplified workflows and reuse of saved analysis settings Leverage advanced reporting capabilities to deliver products designed and optimized for humans Ensure conformance with health and safety guidelines and ergonomic standards Free Manikin in Pro/ENGINEER
Now you can test-drive basic manikin functionality that is included in all Pro/ENGINEER packages, beginning with Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 M060, to see how digital human modeling can improve your product development process
Pro/Engineer Manikin product page…
Pro/ENGINEER® Manikin Extension brochure…
(hat tip: Eureka Magazine)