ADAPT project (Australian Defence Anthropometric Personnel
Testing)
The Australian Defence Anthropometric Personnel Testing Project (ADAPT) is the collaborative project of a number of high profile national and interstate organisations:
- Australian Government Department of Defence
- University of South Australia
- Australian Government Australian Sports Commission
- Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM)
- University of Ballarat
These partners have joined together to undertake a project of strategic importance to the Australian Defence Force (ADF), using the very latest technology to gather and assess information about the size of potential aircrew recruits and their fit in the current inventory of ADF aircraft.
The immediate aim of the project is to determine the appropriate body size and shape for aircrew flying a variety of aircraft. The longer-term aim is to develop a capability in a variety of new technologies for measuring human body size and shape, and simulating the movements of aircrew in aircraft.
The ADAPT project team will conduct the project in three main Phases:
- 3-D laser scanning of 39 crewstations in the current aircraft fleet (conducted by Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM))
- A national anthropometric survey of young adults using 3-D laser body scanning technology. The survey will be conducted at major centres throughout Australia. Men and women aged 18-30, particularly those people who already have TAFE or University qualifications, or who are currently enrolled in TAFE or University courses are eligible to be scanned (conducted by UniSA)
- Development of recruitment software that assists in selecting potential aircrew to safely fit the ADF aircraft (conducted by the University of Ballarat)
The Commonwealth has defined five principal outcomes that it expects to achieve from the project:
- Define aircrew recruitment standards
- Update aircrew employment policy
- Accurate sizing of aircrew life-support equipment and clothing
- Advise and/or influence future ADF aircraft design and modification standards
- Conduct action research to advise on aircraft safety
The end result will be two pieces of software:
- Crewstation Accommodation Software
- Aircrew Recruitment Software
The ADAPT project anthropometric data will be collected using the Vitus Smart 3D whole body scanner. The aim is to determine the body size and shape requirements for safe and efficient functioning of aircrew in a variety of environments. Whole-body scans will be used to extract measurements for rescaling manikins in human modeling software. These manikins will then be placed in digitised crewstation environments, and animated to determine fit and clearances. The whole testing process will require about 45 minutes, although the actual scanning procedure takes a matter of seconds.
Please note further information is available about the scanning process.
Volunteers will receive a $25 payment to recompense them for their time and effort. They will also receive a CD with 3D visuals (stills and video) of their personal scan. If you are interested in participating in this survey, and meet the age and educational qualifications, check out the list of survey sites below.