Face Facts

One size never fits all. Designers use databases of North American and European body measurements to create their products but lack data to adapt the designs to Asians. That will soon change. Roger Ball, an industrial designer at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has digitally scanned the heads of 2000 people from six regions of China in a project called SizeChina.com. From the scans, Ball created computer models of average Chinese heads. He intends to sell the models to companies that make helmets, eyeglasses, and face masks for Asians.