About VSR

The Virtual Soldier Research Program (VSR) is an independent research group within the Center for Computer-Aided Design (CCAD) at the University of Iowa. Our research is aimed at creating interactive, intelligent, and predictive human models that operate in virtual, physics-based environments. We simulate a human’s interaction with new equipment, vehicle, and process designs to evaluate their usability without the need for multiple iterations of physical prototypes. We support the detailed analysis of ergonomics, human performance, physiology & fatigue, and even propensity of injury resulting from long-term, repetitive tasks associated with military, consumer, or manufacturing operations.

Initially funded by the US Army, our laboratory was founded in 2003 to study the effects of modified body armor configurations on the soldier, and to evaluate design concepts for next generation military vehicles from the human perspective. The VSR Program has grown to support a staff of forty people, with research efforts ranging from the analysis of internal cable routing for medical implants subject to patient movement, to the evaluation of large-scale assembly line operations, to the study of the impact of soft- and hard-body armor, helmets, and advanced military systems on a warfighter’s fightability and survivability.

Who is Santos™?

Santos™ is the virtual human who stands at the center of our digital human modeling and simulation research. Our high fidelity, biomechanically accurate musculoskeletal model was developed from the inside out by our team of biomedical engineers, and incorporates 215 degrees of freedom, including the hand, feet, and eyes. The dimensions of the skeleton are mutable, able to represent any anthropometric cross section. In addition, Santos™ includes a muscular system with the ability to predict muscle activation and muscle forces in real time, using a novel optimization-base methodology.

Over time, the Santos™ family has grown to incorporate a variety of different body scans to provide a range of models that include our female version, Sophia, and a broad array of different body shapes, types, and sizes. Our research is currently being extended to allow multiple digital human models to interact with each other to complete tasks cooperatively.

VSR Mission

Our mission is to deliver high fidelity, biomechanically accurate research to enable validated modeling and simulation of human activities to assist in biomedical engineering, ergonomic analysis, human performance analysis, human systems integration, and training.

VSR Vision

Our vision is to be the acknowledged world leader in digital human modeling and simulation.

Visit the Santos Web Page

Santos™ was built from the inside out, using state-of-the-art technologies adapted from robotics, Hollywood, and the game industry. Our research continues to grow in its dynamic capabilities, physiology, and intelligent behaviors through integration of Artifical Intelligence, design optimization, physics-based modeling, and advanced, multi-scale physiological models.

The mathematical model for the Santos™ skeleton was developed based on the Denavit-Hartenberg method for kinematic and dynamic analysis. Optimization is used to determine postures and motions that are governed by various human performance measures (objective functions) and constrained by the restrictions imposed by the skeleton, the laws of physics, and the environment. The software must be as fast and efficient as possible in an effort to provide real-time simulations.

Project Highlights