Citation

Jung HS, Jung HS. Int. J. Ind. Ergonomics 2003; 31(6): 361-373.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Six hundred male and female Korean subjects aged 17-89 were selected for this study. Four different points of the outer ear--the lengths of the pinna, the ear connection point, the earhole and the lobule thickness--were measured and analyzed along with demographic data, including age, stature and weight. The results showed that age, sex and different ethnic populations were determinants of ear dimensions as exemplified by the length of the pinna which increases as age increases (r=0.689). The primary objective of this study was to provide product designers with the anthropometric dimensions of Korean ears and recommend appropriate solutions for the ergonomic design of ear-related products. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that the change in body parts due to aging be considered in the application of anthropometric data when designing such products.Relevance to IndustryLimited research has been done on the dimensions of ears although an extensive amount of research has been conducted on other parts of the human body. The findings of this study, therefore, can be used as a basis for researching and producing ergonomically designed ear-related products.