Designing the functional garments for people with physical disabilities or kyphosis by using computer simulation techniques

The two-fold purpose of this study is to document the current challenges of the 3D scanning and computer simulation techniques in developing functional garments for people with physical disabilities or postural disorder kyphosis. The first part of the study investigates the health problems of the wheelchair users and presents the possibilities of developing functional pants from the perspective of protection and health needs. The second part of the study investigates the usefulness of the newly developed methodology for elementary surfaces evaluation, named CASP (Curvature, Acceleration, Symmetry, Proportionality), in the process of designing the well-fitted bodice for wheelchair users suffering from the postural disorder kyphosis. The relationships between the health problems, human body postures, kyphosis, 3D scanning, CASP evaluation and treated garments were considered in the prototyping process. The obtained research results regarding the functional pants for wheelchair users and the well-fitted bodice for a kyphosis body are valuable also for a wider population of those who are forced to a sitting posture during a day and are confronted with similar health problems as paraplegics or are affected by the kyphosis.