Clothing sizes often seem inconsistent between brands, and car seats just are not comfortable enough. These are examples of complaints that prompted a three-dimensional measurement survey of the human body.

The 18-month study, conducted by Sytronics Inc., the U.S. Air Force and the Society of Automotive Engineers, has stopped at Iowa State to take a sampling of body measurements. The research team is looking for volunteers to contribute data to the study.

The measuring team, which is traveling across the United States, uses devices such as tape measures, calipers and a whole-body 3-D scanner to gather data.

“We extract measurements to better fit automotive and apparel industries,” said Scott Fleming, an anthropometrics specialist and Sytronics team member.

The team of four college students and leader Cindy Hunter hope to obtain the measurements of at least 4,000 volunteers before the 18-month stint is over.

They will also be traveling to the Netherlands and Italy to take measurements. Of the NATO nations, the Netherlands has the tallest people, while the shortest live in Italy.

“People are different sizes in different areas,” she said.

The project, known as CAESAR (Civilian American and European Surface Anthropometric Resource), is funded by “partners,” Fleming said.

Partner companies include Boeing, Case, Caterpillar, John Deere, Ford, General Motors, Hanes, Jantzen, Johnson Controls, Lear Corporation, Levi’s, Lockheed Martin, Magna Interior Systems, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Sears Seating.

Fleming said it costs $40,000 to become a partner, and with that comes first rights to the data collected during the research. One year after the research is complete, the information will go to the open market for those who want to purchase it.

Fleming said the automotive industry will use the data to design more comfortable seating and the optimum reaching distance for features such as radios and temperature controls.

The apparel industry will use the information to make clothes more comfortable and to make sizes consistent throughout different brands.

“Any company that makes anything for fit [or] comfort will want access to this information,” Hunter said. “It’s going to change the way everything’s made eventually.”

Hunter said a study like this has not been conducted since the 1950s, so the 3-D scanner will contribute information that is much more accurate and useful.

“We didn’t have the technology then that we have today,” she said.

Fleming said the entire process, from filling out the necessary forms to changing out of the special clothing required for the scanner, takes about an hour.

The team members take 40 measurements of the body, including height, weight, crotch height, thumb-tip reach, body fat and hip circumference using a tape measure and calipers.

Following the measurements, 72 landmarks are made on the body using white tape. This helps the team members identify the joints and bones on the scanned images.

The scanner is the last step, and Fleming said it takes 17 seconds to scan the whole body.

The scanner has four heads, each with two lasers and a camera. The results are 3-D pictures on a computer screen. The body can be viewed from any angle.

CAESAR began its time at ISU on July 21 and will leave August 7. Members are able to measure 20 people each day, and they aim for 250 volunteers total at this location.

“We’ve probably had 20 so far this week,” Fleming said on Thursday.

The team will land in a total of eight sites across the United States, including Los Angeles, Detroit, Dayton, Nashville and Boston. They said they do not have a set itinerary.

The scanner is located in the Engineering Research Institute Laboratory, and the team is looking for volunteers, both men and women, ages 18 to 65 to be measured. Volunteers cannot have prosthetic limbs or be confined to a wheelchair.

John Deere is the sponsor of the ISU location, and incentives such as John Deere screwdrivers, stickers and hats are offered to volunteers.

“We really need more people,” Hunter said.

She said volunteering for this study is being part of history, and that is the main incentive to participate.

“Once the database is complete, it will be used by companies all over the world,” Hunter said.

For more information, team CAESAR can be contacted at 294-5270. The team is located in room 132 of the ERI building.