Anthropometry of external auditory canal by non-contactable measurement

Jen-Fang Yu; Kun-Che Lee; Ren-Hung Wang; Yen-Sheng Chen; Chun-Chieh Fan; Ying-Chin Peng; Tsung-Hsien Tu; Ching-I Chen; Kuei-Yi Lin

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2015.01.008

Anthropometry of external auditory canal by non-contactable measurement

Appl Ergon. 2015 Sep:50:50-5. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2015.01.008. Epub 2015 Mar 16.

Authors

Jen-Fang Yu¹, Kun-Che Lee², Ren-Hung Wang³, Yen-Sheng Chen³, Chun-Chieh Fan³, Ying-Chin Peng⁴, Tsung-Hsien Tu⁵, Ching-I Chen⁶, Kuei-Yi Lin⁷

Affiliations

¹ Graduate Institute of Medical Mechatronics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Taiouan Interdisciplinary Otolaryngology Laboratory, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan. Electronic address: jfyu.phd@gmail.com.
² Taiouan Interdisciplinary Otolaryngology Laboratory, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Electrical Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
³ Taiouan Interdisciplinary Otolaryngology Laboratory, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Prosthodontics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁵ Center for Measurement Standards, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
⁷ Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Council of Labor Affairs, Taipei, Taiwan.

PMID: 25959317
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2015.01.008

Abstract

Human ear canals cannot be measured directly with existing general measurement tools. Furthermore, general non-contact optical methods can only conduct simple peripheral measurements of the auricle and cannot obtain the internal ear canal shape-related measurement data. Therefore, this study uses the computed tomography (CT) technology to measure the geometric shape of the ear canal and the shape of the ear canal using a non-invasive method, and to complete the anthropometry of external auditory canal. The results of the study show that the average height and width of ear canal openings, and the average depth of the first bend for men are generally longer, wider and deeper than those for women. In addition, the difference between the height and width of the ear canal opening is about 40% (p < 0.05). Hence, the circular cross-section shape of the earplugs should be replaced with an elliptical cross-section shape during manufacturing for better fitting.

Keywords: Anthropometry; Computed tomography; External auditory canal.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Anthropometry / instrumentation
Anthropometry / methods*
Ear Canal / anatomy & histology*
Female
Humans
Male
Sex Characteristics
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Young Adult