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M. D. Burkhard coauthored, with R. M. Sachs, a 1975 paper describing an anthropometric manikin for acoustics research. Such instruments provide a reproducible physical stand-in for measurements affected by the shape of a listener's head and torso.^[ref]

KEMAR provides the concrete apparatus example. Its documented configurations combine a head and torso with external-ear shapes, canal extensions and ear simulators for testing headphones and related equipment. The manufacturer describes these as approximations to human acoustic properties.^[ref]

A microphone alone measures the sound pressure at its position; placing it in a representative physical arrangement changes the experiment to include the effects of that arrangement. Repeatability of a manikin measurement does not imply that its response equals the response of every individual listener. Modern configurations also should not automatically be attributed to the original 1975 instrument.

R. M. Sachs coauthored, with M. D. Burkhard, a 1975 description of an anthropometric manikin for acoustics research. The contribution addressed a measurement problem: a test fixture should represent relevant features of a listener rather than merely hold a sensor in otherwise empty space.^[ref]

Current KEMAR documentation illustrates the approach with shaped head-and-torso fixtures and interchangeable ear-related components. These support controlled tests in which the apparatus configuration is recorded and reproduced.^[ref]

For a hypothetical comparison, use the same signal and fixture to test two headphone placements. A change in the measured response can then be investigated as a placement effect instead of being mixed with changes of listener anatomy. Conversely, changing an ear component changes the physical model itself. An interpretable comparison therefore specifies both the signal and the geometry.