Abstract
The hand performs functions such as grabbing and other movements. In order to accomplish these movements in various kinds of operational environments, appropriate gloves must be worn to protect your hands. Choosing the appropriate type of glove is very important when wearing gloves in these types of operational environments. The reasons one wears gloves varies depending on age and gender. Unmarried women in their early twenties, for example, occasionally wear gloves for decoration rather than for functional reasons. However, previous studies examined a range of topics, and as such investigations dealing with specific body shape and demands of consumer are needed. Therefore in this study, the hands of unmarried women ranging in age from 20 to 24 were measured and hand shape types were analyzed in order to present basal data which can be used to help design improved glove patterns and produce appropriate, functional gloves. A total of 261 Korean women were measured. Fifty-seven right hand dimensions were measured and five dimensions from both hands were measured. Six factors were identified through factor analysis and those factors constituted $73.259\%$ of total variance. Two clusters of hand shapes were categorized using 6 factor scores by cluster analysis. Type 1 hand shape is defined as long hands with small width, girth, and thickness, long and thin fingers, and high vertical palm height. Type 2 hand shape is defined as short hands with large width, girth and thickness, short fingers, thick knuckles, and short vertical palm height. The characteristics of type 1 and 2 hand shapes are similar to women's hand type classification results from previous reports, but there was a significant difference in subject distribution by type. Therefore, standard data on hand shapes should be produced by developing measuring instruments and selling more accurate standard measuring points. By doing this it could help in the development of improved glove patterns, and also aid in planning production based on hand type.