Collaborations & Partnerships
Our goal is to make body data useful enough to transform design. If your organization has a body-product problem that better data could solve, contact us. We offer three pathways: sponsored research (investigations using our infrastructure, databases, and expertise), data licensing (access to our 3D anthropometric databases), and consulting engagements (expert analysis of fit, sizing, and body-product relationships). To explore a partnership, contact Dr. Linsey Griffin.
Data Security and Research Ethics
All HDL human subjects research is conducted under Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight at the University of Minnesota. For projects involving clinical populations or healthcare settings, the lab operates in compliance with HIPAA and applicable health data protection requirements. Data shared with industry partners is governed by formal data use agreements, and identifiable participant data is never transferred externally. The University of Minnesota’s research data infrastructure provides secure storage, access controls, and data management protocols for all HDL research partnerships.
Who we've worked with
- M Health Fairview / UMN Medical School — Mask fit and respirator design for healthcare workers; MNmask clinical evaluation; facial anthropometry for occupational safety.
- Minneapolis VA RECOVER Center (Dr. Andrew Hansen) — Parametric prosthetic foot-shoe system; rehabilitation engineering for lower-limb amputees.
- UMN Pediatric Device Innovation Consortium, PDIC (Dr. Gwenyth Fischer) — Personalization of pediatric NIV masks and cleft lip/ear devices; scalable personalization pipeline.
- Synex Medical — Medical device design and human factors consultation.
- Rush River Research — Novel thermoelectric scalp cooling system.
- Toyota Motor Corporation — Dynamic hand anthropometric survey of 336 manufacturing workers across two U.S. facilities; 1,344 scans; deliverables include hand envelopes, clearance visualizations, and ergonomic design recommendations ($108,764).
- 3M Corporation — Three-year protective coverall research; fit and movement analysis; patented solution reducing size range from 10 to 4 sizes.
- Kimberly-Clark Corporation — Dynamic anthropometry and PPE design consultation; 6-part workshop series on integrating data into design ($109,609 research + consulting).
- Target Corporation — Dynamic anthropometry and apparel design research; 3D technology integration workshop.
- NIOSH / FEMA — Equitable PPE research; firefighter safety; IPA appointments 2023 and 2024.
- U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center — Pattern grading, sizing strategy, and PPE education (workshops 2021, 2022); invited seminar presenter.
- Purple Team Anthropometry & Design Research in Academia and Government — Member.
Laboratory Capabilities
The HDL offers a rare combination of technical, analytical, and design capabilities,bringing together the tools to collect body data, the methods to extract design-relevant insight, and the engineering frameworks to translate that insight into validated products.
3D & Functional Anthropometric Scanning
Partners and students utilize HDL's scanning infrastructure (handheld, stationary, and dynamic) for hands, head, face, foot, and full body data capture in functional task positions across various environments, extending research beyond controlled lab conditions. Field-deployable "research in a suitcase" protocols for industrial sites, hospitals, military facilities, and public venues.
Shape & Geometric Analysis
The HDL translates 3D scan data into design-actionable insight: where a glove gaps, where a mask leaks, where a tool handle forces a compensatory grip.
Capabilities include, but not limited to:
- air gap mapping;
- curvature, arc length, and angular spread extraction of data;
- webspace depth analysis; slope and crease characterization;
- sizing system evaluation and population accommodation modeling
Shape descriptor frameworks and anatomical landmarking for direct body-to-product geometric comparison.
Machine learning models for hand envelope prediction and shape classification.
Data-to-Design Integration
The HDL increases product accommodation via data-driven redesign. Population 3D shape data is embedded directly into parametric design environments, offering accommodation analysis, dimensional and proportional design recommendations, and validation pipelines that lead to measurable, validated improvements, not just general recommendations.
Parametric Design Automation
The HDL is accelerating the path from patient scan to fabricated device, with a target pipeline of just 24 hours. Our parametric automation reduces the complexity of customizing clinical-scale products, allowing for personalized devices to be produced in minutes. We develop automated design systems that adapt product geometry to individual patient or user dimensions, directly from scan data. This technology has been successfully applied to pediatric NIV masks, nasal retainers, prosthetic foot-shoe systems, and respirator interfaces, and is scalable to any product or device with body-interface geometry.
Digital Fit Simulation & Physical Validation
Our digital simulation pipeline enables partners to evaluate fit pre-fabrication, identifying issues like compression, leakage, and separation regions early in the design process. This digital evaluation is validated with physical prototypes.
Human Factors & Ergonomics Research
Understanding how a product gets used in the real world, not just how it performs in a lab, is where the HDL adds an often-missing layer of rigor. The team conducts dexterity, force, and strength assessment; site visits; and mixed-methods user research across hospitals, factories, and field environments.
Systems Engineering & Design Research
Often, the challenge lies not with the product itself, but with the entire system in which it operates. The HDL specializes in a full system-of-use analysis for complex wearable products. This involves identifying the organizational, supply chain, regulatory, and behavioral factors that truly determine a product's real-world performance.
Examples of applications include: hospital gowns, respirators, firefighter turnout gear, and pediatric medical devices.
