Virtual Human Saves Lives
A group of more than 30 researchers from the University of Iowa's Center for Computer-Aided Design has spent the last eight years developing and evolving SANTOS, a 3D digital avatar that can model human behavior in real-world scenarios from the battlefield to the factory floor. The participants' diverse backgrounds — ranging from art, graphics and avatar development to engineering, physiology and video game design — lent themselves to the creation of this uniquely-sophisticated virtual human.
Tim Marler, a senior research scientist at UI's Virtual Soldier Research Program, explains the impetus for the project: "You look for something that humans do not interact with directly or indirectly, and there's not much. Today, so much of that stuff is made on computers first. It makes sense that you have to have a human on the computer."
The prototype avatar, developed as part of the Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) program, was modeled after a "typical" soldier with average height and weight characteristics. However, there are other versions as well, such as the short, stocky SANTOS, the lean and tall SANTOS, and one that looks like a towering linebacker.
Aside from its realistic appearance — SANTOS sports six-pack-abs, fingernails and hair — the avatar is more advanced than its predecessors in other ways. Instead of tapping into a database to answer questions, SANTOS employs physics and math to answer queries about heart rate and oxygen consumption, as well as muscle fatigue and joint impact.
The Virtual Soldier Research program first deployed SANTOS back in 2003, and continues to benefit from enhancements. Currently, the digital human modeling and simulation environment is being used by Navy researchers to minimize the loads soldiers must carry into combat. Another group is working on developing more effective body armor.
Through the program's commercial arm, Santos Human Inc., the software has helped companies such as Caterpillar decrease mining injuries, while car manufacturers, including Ford, Chrysler and GM, are using the virtual human to help reduce assembly line injuries.
