SAMMTB: A Computer Aided Design Tool for Ergonomists

Sammie (System for Aiding Man-Machine Interaction Evaluation) is a Computer Aided Design system which provides facilities for ergonomics/human factors evaluation at the earliest stage in the design process. Workplaces, for example the interior of a vehicle or a supermarket checkout, are modelled in three dimensions and presented on a computer graphics screen. A range of techniques are available for interactively modifying the design and for an ergonomie evaluation at each stage by the use of a three-dimensional model of the human operator. This paper describes the facilities available and illustrates the system's usefulness by reference to examples taken from recent design assignments.