Anthropometry (
Greek ανθρωπος, man, and μετρον, measure, literally meaning "measurement of humans"), in
physical anthropology, refers to the measurement of living human individuals for the purposes of understanding human physical variation.Today, anthropometry plays an important role in
industrial design,
clothing design,
ergonomics, and
architecture, where statistical data about the distribution of body dimensions in the population are used to optimize products. Changes in life styles, nutrition and ethnic composition of populations lead to changes in the distribution of body dimensions (e.g., the
obesity epidemic), and require regular updating of anthropometric data collections.
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studies and measures the volume and shape of the human body; it has gained prominence by its use by fashion retailers, both in shops and on the web, to electronically measure customers and so offer fully customised products.