The purpose of this study is to provide an accessible source of anthropometric measurements from the auricle to the tympanic membrane based on age, gender, and ear side, which can be used as a reference for optimizing the fit and comfort of ear-related devices and anthropometric analysis. To do so, in this study, a 3D measurement method based on CT scan imaging was utilized. A new coordinate system was defined to measure 41 linear, angular, and circumference dimensions. The result showed that ergonomic ear-related products should be designed based on the age and gender of the users.
AhmedA. A.OmerN. (2015). Estimation of sex from the anthropometric ear measurements of a Sudanese population. Legal Medicine, 17(5), 313–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2015.03.002
2.
AlexanderK. S.StottD. J.SivakumarB.KangN. (2011). A morphometric study of the human ear. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery: JPRAS, 64(1), 41–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjps.2010.04.005
3.
BanK.JungE. S. (2020). Ear shape categorization for ergonomic product design. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 80, 102962. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2020.102962
4.
BarnesJ.SaboR. T.CoelhoD. H. (2018). A novel method to measure the external auditory canal: Normative data and practical implications. American Journal of Otolaryngology, 39(2), 146–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjoto.2017.12.006
5.
BarutC.AktuncE. (2006). Anthropometric measurements of the external ear in a group of Turkish primary school students. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 30(2), 255–259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-005-0182-1
6.
BruckerM. J.PatelJ.SullivanP. K.Department of Plastic Surgery, Brown Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, 02905, USA. (2003). A morphometric study of the external ear: Age and sex related differences. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 112(2), 647–654. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.PRS.0000070979.20679.1F
7.
ChiouW. K.HuangD. H.ChenB. H. (2016). Anthropometric measurements of the external auditory canal for hearing protection earplug. In Advances in safety management and human factors (pp. 163–171), Springer.
8.
FanH.YuS.ChuJ.WangM.ChenD.ZhangS.WangW.WuT.WangN. (2019). Anthropometric characteristics and product categorization of Chinese auricles for ergonomic design. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 69, 118–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2018.11.002
9.
FanH.YuS.WangM.LiM.ZhaoX.RenY.ZhangS.ChenD.Harris AdamsonC. (2021). Analysis of the external acoustic meatus for ergonomic design: Part II–anthropometric variations of the external acoustic meatus by sex, age and side in Chinese population. Ergonomics, 64(5), 657–670. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2020.1867769
GreweJ.ThieleC.MojallalH.RaabP.Sankowsky-RotheT.LenarzT.BlauM.TeschnerM. (2013). New HRCT-based measurement of the human outer ear canal as a basis for acoustical methods. American Journal of Audiology, 22(1), 65–73. https://doi.org/10.1044/1059-0889(2012/12-0039)
12.
JiX.ZhuZ.GaoZ.BaiX.HuG. (2018). Anthropometry and classification of auricular concha for the ergonomic design of earphones. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries, 28(2), 90–99. https://doi.org/10.1002/hfm.20726
13.
JungH. S.JungH.-S. (2003). Surveying the dimensions and characteristics of Korean ears for the ergonomic design of ear-related products. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 31(6), 361–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0169-8141(02)00237-8
14.
LeeW.JungH.BokI.KimC.KwonO.ChoiT.YouH. (2016). Measurement and application of 3D ear images for earphone design. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society - Annual Meeting, 60, (1), 1053–1057. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931213601244
15.
LeeW.YangX.JungH.BokI.KimC.KwonO.YouH. (2018). Anthropometric analysis of 3D ear scans of Koreans and Caucasians for ear product design. Ergonomics, 61(11), 1480–1495. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2018.1493150
MaL.TsaoL.YuC.ZhouW. (2018). A quick method to extract earphone-related ear dimensions using two-dimensional (2D) image. Advances in Ergonomics in Design, (2), 321–328. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60582-1
18.
MeijermanL.Van Der LugtC.MaatG. J. R. (2007). Cross-sectional anthropometric study of the external ear. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 52(2), 286–293. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2006.00376.x
19.
MohammadB.MououdiA.AkbariJ.KhoshoeiM. M.VergaraO. (2018). Measuring the external ear for hearing protection device design. Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications, 26(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/1064804617731177
20.
PurkaitR. (2013). Progression of growth in the external ear from birth to maturity: A 2-year follow-up study in India. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 37(3), 605–616. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-013-0097-1
21.
PurkaitR.SinghP. (2007). Anthropometry of the normal human auricle: A study of adult Indian men. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 31(4), 372–379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-006-0231-4
22.
RoebuckJ. A. (2015). Fixing flaws in engineering anthropometry, ears, and all. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society - Annual Meeting, 59(1), 1414–1418. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931215591307
23.
RoebuckJ. A. (2019). Aerospace and ergonomic methods for ear anthropometry supported by Bulgarian research. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society - Annual Meeting, 63(1), 1699–1703. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181319631232
24.
RoebuckJ. A.CasaliJ. G. (2011). Re-inventing anthropometry for design of earmounted or ear-coupled products. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society - Annual Meeting, 55(1), 1649–1653. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181311551344
25.
SforzaC.GrandiG.BinelliM.TommasiD. G.RosatiR.FerrarioV. F. (2009). Age-and sex-related changes in the normal human ear. Forensic Science International, 187(1–3), 107.e1–110.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.02.019
26.
ShahP. B.LuximonY. (2018). Digital human modeling. Applications in health, safety, ergonomics, and risk management. Digital Human Modeling. Applications in Health, Safety, Ergonomics, and Risk Management: Ergonomics and Design, Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91397-1
27.
StavrakosS. K.Ahmed-KristensenS.GoldmanT. (2016). Using archetypes to create user panels for usability studies: Streamlining focus groups and user studies. Applied Ergonomics, 56, 108–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2016.02.016
28.
TatlisumakE.YavuzM. S.KutluN.AsirdizerM.YoleriL.AslanA. (2015). Asymmetry, handedness, and auricle morphometry. International Journal of Morphology, 33(4), 1542–1548. https://doi.org/10.4067/s0717-95022015000400057
29.
WangB.DongY.ZhaoY.BaiS.WuG. (2011). Computed tomography measurement of the auricle in Han population of north China. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery: JPRAS, 64(1), 34–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjps.2010.03.053
30.
YuJ.-F.LeeK.-C.WangR.-H.ChenY.-S.FanC.-C.PengY.-C.TuT.-H.ChenC.-I.LinK.-Y. (2015). Anthropometry of external auditory canal by non-contactable measurement. Applied Ergonomics, 50, 50–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2015.01.008
31.
ZhuZ.JiX.GaoZ.HuG. (2017). A morphometric study of auricular concha in the population of young Chinese adults. International Journal of Morphology, 35(4), 1451–1458. https://doi.org/10.4067/s0717-95022017000401451
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
