Abstract
For years, women have expressed a great amount of displeasure with brassieres. Complaints ranging from chronic pains to general discomfort have sounded throughout the female population, and now, the average woman cannot go even a day without coming across articles, announcements, or news stories discussing how to find the “perfectly fitting brassiere.” From surveys conducted by IME Team 7, 78% of women believe that they are wearing the correct brassiere size, however only 1% of women believe that brassieres are suitable as they are. This poses the question, if the majority of women believe they are wearing their optimal brassiere size, and 99% of women believe they are uncomfortable and should be improved upon, what is wrong with the current brassiere?
IME Team 7’s studies and analysis throughout the 2015-2016 academic year will result in the development of an innovative, ergonomically sound brassiere that will be marketable to a wide demographic of women. During the define phase, IME Team 7, comprised of four industrial and manufacturing engineering and two mechanical engineering seniors at Florida A&M University -Florida State University College of Engineering, analyzed studies and findings from various researchers, conducted numerous brainstorming sessions, and utilized tools such as surveys, fishbone diagrams, and a house of quality diagram to ultimately reach a consensus to develop a marketable, desirable brassiere.
IME Team 7 has broken the development into two different tasks. The first of which is to analyze and build upon the current brassiere sizing and measurement system, utilizing the results found by the 2014-2015 ergonomic brassiere research team. IME Team 7 will consider the x, y, and z axis of measurements and derive a new measurement/sizing system that will focus specifically on the pain points and ergonomic issues defined in a survey of 242 women of varying body types, backgrounds, and ages. IME Team 7 will then utilize these findings to develop a digital brassiere prototype that allows for optimum comfort through improved load distribution and fitting, while still remaining fashion conscious. The proposed brassiere design will ultimately transform the current brassiere from something that a woman must wear to something she desires to wear.