Hand Anthropometry and Its Application to Design

This study presents a literature review and a comparison of selected hand anthropometric studies of many populations. The main purpose of this study is to determine the measurements and variables that need to be included in a study of hand for Portuguese population. The comparison and review were performed with studies selected from publications that were found in a literature search performed on Scopus and Google Scholar databases. The considered studies have an evident consideration for the design of hand tools and hand-held devices in the aims of the study and report data collected later than 1990. The review was performed by identifying the measurement included in each study and by comparing their aims and methods. Each study involved a different number of hand measures. Each study had their own reasons for the selection of the hand anthropometric measures involved. However, it can be generally concluded that the studies selected the measures based on a few criteria. The included studies involved a range of 8 to 51 different hand dimensions. The hand dimensions that were considered in at least five different studies were identified.