Air drag of athletes

The aim of this project ist to measure the air resistance of athletes using flow simulation, based on 3D models.

This is done using the handheld 3D scanner ‘Sense’, which enables the creation of colorized 3D models for humans as well as objects. The scanner utilizes a Class I Laser and was originally developed for the 3D printing of the scanned objects.

Functionality of the 3D scanner:

The 3D scanner contains various scanning modes, with a main focus on the options ‘humans’ and ‘objects’.

Depending on which mode is chosen one can choose fruther between the modes ‘Head’, ‘Body’ or ‘Objects’ and ‘Small Objects’ (<0.4m), ‘Medium Objects’ (<1m), ‘Large Objects (up to 3m). The scanning mode has an influence on the captured level of detal and the scanning results (for comparison, the modes ‘Head’ and ‘Body’).

At the start of the scanning process the desired person is tagged and the start button is pressed for 3 seconds. The handheld scanner is the moved at a distance of 40 cm slowly and uniformly around the person. In a next step the scanning results can be edited by using the provided software (Trimming, Adjusting colors, Retouching) and the desired solid can be created.

During test-scans we were able to notice that the size of the scanned objects only deviated from the actual size by a few milimetres. A pre-requisite however is maintaining satisfatory lighting conditions and avoiding the creation of shadow effects.

Flow Simulation

The main area of application for 3D scanning technology at CAE Simulation & Solutions is within the field of Sporting Equipment. Through the rapid and simple creation of 3D models, athletes of up to a hight of 3m can be scanned and their flow behaviour can be analyzed in a type of ‘virtual wind canal’.