'NICI' is our female upper body and used for the investigation of interactions with the female upper body. It simulates movements from walking to running. For bra evaluation, breast prostheses of different cup sizes (80B, 80C, and 80D) can be used. With the help of various sensors, the movements, forces, and pressure points can be assessed.

The NICI manikin can be used to:

• Evaluate forces and moments in all three directions for the detection of loads and asymmetries, as well as relative movements of the breast prostheses;
• Locate pressure points that potentially can lead to discomfort when wearing the bra;
• Develop new samples or compare samples with earlier prototypes, competing products on the market;
• Simulate customized, real-life scenarios to assess clothing performance under actual conditions of use.

For further information please also see our Spec sheet NICI (PDF).

HybridSwimRunBra – Innosuisse project together with Swijin

Empa News Portal, 20 June 2023, Schwimmen und Rennen ohne Umziehen by C. Glass and A. Ettlin