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The human-body model is the most commonly used model for characterizing the susceptibility of an electronic device to damage from electrostatic discharge. The model is a simulation of the discharge which might occur when a human touches an electronic device.
The HBM definition most widely used is the test model defined in the United States military standard, MIL-STD-883, Method 3015.9, Electrostatic Discharge Sensitivity Classification. This method establishes a simplified equivalent electrical circuit and the necessary test procedures required to model an HBM ESD event.
An internationally widely used standard is JEDEC standard JS-001.
HBM is used primarily for manufacturing environments to quantify an integrated circuit to survive the manufacturing process. A similar standard, IEC 61000-4-2, is used for system level testing and quantifies protection levels for a real world ESD event in an uncontrolled environment.