Abstract
Many Army clothing and equipment systems in use today were designed to accommodate male soldiers within the 5th — 95th percentile range for Stature and other critical body dimensions. Thus, female soldiers whose body dimensions are outside this design envelope may be compromised with regard to clothing and workspace fit. The objective of this study was to determine the compatibility of Army female height/reach dimensions with currently fielded, representative clothing, individual equipment, and workstations. These items were selected using the results of subjective questionnaires, theoretical disaccommodation rates, and interviews with the developers. Data were collected on female soldiers 5′5″ and shorter (workstations, n=202; clothing and equipment, n=202). Compatibility was determined by the difficulty experienced by the soldiers as they performed specific reach tasks in workstations, and by the acceptability of static and functional fit of the clothing and equipment. Problematic items were identified and solutions were developed, along with associated implementation costs.
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