A body size measurement method using aligned depth cameras: a preliminary experiment

Abstract

This paper presents a 3D point-cloud measurement method for acquisition of static physical dimensions of people relevant for pedestrian dynamics and fire safety applications, such as shoulder breadth, maximum depth, and body-projection area. The method was validated beyond laboratory conditions through an initial field experiment and proved sufficient reliability and applicability for estimating the body size of pedestrians. Analysis of the measured body dimensions indicates that representing a body-projection area of a person without any accessories by an ellipse with the corresponding width and depth is a sufficiently precise approximation. Furthermore, the data show only weak linear dependence between maximum width and depth, i.e both dimensions need to be measured. This study aims to contribute to a discussion on interdisciplinary cooperation and the use of detailed anthropometric data in pedestrian movement and evacuation research.