AUTOMATED CUSTOM-FIT PRODUCTION

IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE CONCEPTS FOR AUTOMATED PRODUCTION OF CUSTON-FIT CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT, LEHIGH VALLEY COMPUTER SERVICES, INC. (LVCS) AND CONSULTANTS FROM LEHIGH UNIVERSITY WILL INVESTIGATE THE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN (1) DIGITIZING HUMAN TOPOLOGY, (2) DEVELOPING AND MANIPULATING GEOMETRIC MODELS OF THE DIGITIZED DATA AND (3) AUTOMATING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF A CUSTOM-FIT DEVICE. THE DIGITIZATION AND GEOMETRIC MODELING WILL FOCUS ON THE FACIAL AREA BUT WILL ALSO INCLUDE AN INVESTIGATION OF THE FOOT, HAND AND BUTTOCK AREAS. LVCS SPECIALIZES IN THE USE OF CAD/CAM TO PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY THERMOFORMED PRODUCTS. THIS PHASE I PROJECT WILL ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY AND DEVELOP SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE INTEGRATION OF THE THREE TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A CUSTOM-FIT RESPIRATOR MASK. FOR THIS EXAMPLE, MASS-PRODUCED THERMOFORMED MASKS WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY TRIMMED TO FIT THE FACIAL CONTOURS OF THE INDIVIDUAL. METHODS OF LABELING THE INDIVIDUALIZED MASK WILL ALSO BE CONSIDERED.