{"title":"Development and evaluation of an anthropometric module for digital human modelling systems","authors":"E. Brolin, D. Högberg, L. Hanson, R. Örtengren","doi":"10.1504/ijhfms.2019.102178","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1504/ijhfms.2019.102178","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents the development of a software module and a graphical user interface which aims to support the definition of anthropometry of manikins in a digital human modelling (DHM) tool. The module is developed from user interviews and literature studies, as well as mathematical methods for anthropometric diversity consideration. The module has functionality to create both single manikins and manikin families, where it is possible to combine or analyse different population datasets simultaneously. The developed module and its interface have been evaluated via focus group interviews and usability tests by DHM tool users. Results from the studies show that the developed module and its interface has relevant functionality, fits well into industrial work processes, and is easy to use. The study also identifies possibilities to further increase usability.","PeriodicalId":417746,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation","volume":"62 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115482926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Optimisation-based identification of parameters in a mathematical model of muscle fatigue","authors":"L. Frey-Law, Frank K. UrbanIII","doi":"10.1504/ijhfms.2019.102171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1504/ijhfms.2019.102171","url":null,"abstract":"A number of mathematical muscle fatigue models have been developed; however, the determination of optimal parameter values defining model behaviour is not trivial. Typically, parameter identification relied on estimates of endurance time (ET) for sustained static contractions. However, this is not feasible for more complex tasks, such as intermittent contractions, in which ET is not achieved or reported due to long task durations. Here we present numerical methods, which use multiple time-varying measures of fatigue development to find best-fit fatigue (F) and recovery (R) parameter values for one fatigue model. While we used the three-compartment controller model (3CC), the approach using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm could be applied to other fatigue models. This method determines best-fit parameter solutions as those resulting in a minimum least squares difference between measured and modelled data. We present a summary of this approach with two extreme examples with multiple on/off cycle repetitions from the literature to demonstrate determination of the two model parameters, F and R, for each dataset. Thus, the method works with repetitive contractions, utilising multiple data points over time, not just a single endurance time point, as in previous studies.","PeriodicalId":417746,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124992764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Short note - assessment of the required human capacity factor using flight simulator as an appropriate accelerated test vehicle","authors":"E. Suhir","doi":"10.1504/ijhfms.2019.10023740","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1504/ijhfms.2019.10023740","url":null,"abstract":"Flight simulator can be employed as an appropriate and successful test vehicle that could be used to quantify, on the probabilistic basis, the required level of the human capacity factor (HCF) with respect to the expected mental workload (MWL) during fulfillment of a particular aerospace mission or in an extraordinary situation. In the analysis that follows it is shown how this could be done. The main concepts are illustrated by a numerical example.","PeriodicalId":417746,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation","volume":"59 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121801349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meghan E. Vidt, N. L. Delfa, Jacquelyn M Maciukiewicz, Andrew J. Ho, J. Callaghan, C. Dickerson
{"title":"The benefits of advanced exposure metrics to estimate occupational shoulder demands","authors":"Meghan E. Vidt, N. L. Delfa, Jacquelyn M Maciukiewicz, Andrew J. Ho, J. Callaghan, C. Dickerson","doi":"10.1504/ijhfms.2019.10023742","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1504/ijhfms.2019.10023742","url":null,"abstract":"Physical exposure assessment is a critical component of ergonomic analysis in occupational settings. This work used a computational model to obtain quantitative measures of shoulder moment, glenohumeral joint contact force and rotator cuff muscle demand based on recorded postures and manual force estimates during the performance of ten different occupational tasks. Outcomes of simulation analyses demonstrated that advanced model outputs can enhance resolution of shoulder-specific exposures currently unavailable with standard ergonomics assessment techniques. A novel composite injury risk score effectively discriminated between shoulder exposure levels. It includes multiple complementary parameters into a single exposure risk assessment tool. The major contribution of the work is to establish the feasibility and utility of incorporating a computational model into ergonomic assessments across occupational tasks.","PeriodicalId":417746,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation","volume":"65 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128368603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Lower body bracing behaviours during externally supported tasks with extended reaches","authors":"Jessica Cappelletto, J. Potvin","doi":"10.1504/ijhfms.2019.10023733","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1504/ijhfms.2019.10023733","url":null,"abstract":"In many jobs, objects in the task environment can restrict a worker's posture, by constraining how close their body is to the object being acted on. Although this provides an obstacle for the worker, these objects can be used to externally support their body by means of lower body bracing. The purpose of this study was to determine when participants would brace, and to quantify the amount of force used for bracing. At four task hand locations, participants performed six exertions, with all combinations of two forces and three directions, and participants chose whether they braced or not. Participants were twice as likely to brace when the task had a far reach. Average brace forces were 117 N for upwards and pulling exertions, and 67 N for downward exertions. These data can be used to guide the prediction of external forces during work simulation and proactive ergonomics assessments.","PeriodicalId":417746,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation","volume":"80 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121698906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Short note - adequate trust, human-capacity-factor, probability-distribution-function of human non-failure and its entropy","authors":"E. Suhir","doi":"10.1504/ijhfms.2019.10023747","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1504/ijhfms.2019.10023747","url":null,"abstract":"This note is an extension, a generalisation of and an attempt to quantify, on the probabilistic basis, the message of the recent Kaindl and Svetinovic (2019) publication Avoiding Undertrust and Overtrust. The author of the present analysis addresses some important aspects of the human-in-the-loop problem for safety-critical missions and situations, in which trust can be viewed as an essential part of the human-capacity-factor (HCF). This factor, as has been recently suggested, should be evaluated vs. mental workload (MWL), when there is a need to assure a successful and safe outcome of a particular human effort, such as, e.g., an aerospace mission or an extraordinary situation. The double exponential probability distribution function (DEPDF) for the random HCF is revisited. It is shown particularly that the entropy of this distribution, when applied to the trustee (a human, a technology, a methodology or a concept), can be viewed as an appropriate quantitative characteristic of the propensity of a decision maker to an under-trust or an over-trust judgment and, as a consequence of that, to the likelihood of making a mistake or an erroneous decision.","PeriodicalId":417746,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation","volume":"23 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133552536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examination of robotic manipulability indices to evaluate upper limb manipulability in digital human models","authors":"H. Endo","doi":"10.1504/IJHFMS.2018.10017420","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1504/IJHFMS.2018.10017420","url":null,"abstract":"Robotic manipulability indices (RMIs) quantitatively evaluate kinematic factors regarding manipulability and can be applied to manipulability evaluations in digital human models (DHMs). However, in the kinematics of human motion based on Euler's angles, the rotational transformation order around three orthogonal coordinate axes is arbitrary, meaning that the coordinate transformation at a shoulder joint is not unique. Because RMIs are calculated from the coordinate transformation matrix, the RMIs of an upper limb may be influenced by this arbitrariness. This study examined the effects of the rotation order of the coordinate transformation at a shoulder joint on the manipulability evaluation of an upper limb. The results indicate that RMIs depend on rotation order. Thus, a modified method that eliminates the influence of rotation order was subsequently proposed. Experimental results indicate that RMIs calculated via this proposed modified method are rotation order independent, verifying that it contributes to manipulability evaluation in DHMs.","PeriodicalId":417746,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation","volume":"28 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125813069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effect of task characteristics on the choice to lean, upper body postures and joint loading during simulated automotive manufacturing tasks with one-handed, sub-maximal exertions","authors":"K. Fewster, J. Potvin","doi":"10.1504/IJHFMS.2018.10017415","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1504/IJHFMS.2018.10017415","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this study was to investigate the preferred leaning postures, while giving participants the choice to lean when completing tasks with constrained reaches. Twenty female participants completed a variety of different exertions with and without a leaning surface available. The frequency of choice to lean changed with task hand location. The long reaching task hand locations resulted in the most frequent choice to lean, and this decreased trunk and task arm shoulder loading, while allowing the participant to get closer to the task. These findings will be of use to industry in validating future leaning posture prediction software to help guide leaning posture estimates during proactive risk assessments.","PeriodicalId":417746,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127379614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ergonomic assessment of a physical task using two different digital human modelling systems: a case study","authors":"M. Quintero-Duran, G. Paul","doi":"10.1504/IJHFMS.2018.10017421","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1504/IJHFMS.2018.10017421","url":null,"abstract":"The cost of occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) causes a significant burden on the health system, and lower back pain (LBP) is associated with a substantial portion of MSDs. Australia has a high prevalence of MSDs for healthcare workers, such as nurses. Two digital human models (DHMs) Siemens JACK and imk EMA were used to investigate if hospital bed pushing, a simple task and hazard that is commonly associated with LBP, can be validly simulated and ergonomically assessed in a virtual environment. While JACK and EMA have implemented a range of common physical work assessment methods, the simulation of a dynamic task such as bed pushing remains a challenge. This research highlights limitations in the DHMs studied, and the need for further research in this area. In particular, the implementation of legacy two dimensional, low resolution ergonomic methods in an analytic, high resolution three dimensional software system is critically reflected.","PeriodicalId":417746,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation","volume":"123 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115783035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Simulation based discomfort assessment of two-wheeler riders","authors":"Mohd Azher Parvez, A. Khan","doi":"10.1504/IJHFMS.2018.10017424","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1504/IJHFMS.2018.10017424","url":null,"abstract":"Ride discomfort apart from various other factors is caused due to whole body vibration (WBV) while driving, where road profiles act as a major source of WBV exposure to a vehicle rider. The present study develops a 6DOF lumped mass parameter model of two-wheeler coupled with rider in state space form. The model is simulated in LabVIEW12.0 under the excitation of generated random road profiles, classified as per ISO 8608:2016. The model was validated for a two-wheeler named 'HERO SPLENDOR PRO' on three types of road profiles i.e. good, average and poor at a vehicle speed of 20 km/h. Assessment of discomfort in simulation model, according to ISO 2631-1:1997, was done for 85 kg rider on good road profile at 40 km/h vehicle speed and the ride was found uncomfortable. ANOVA test showed that there were significant effects of road profile, vehicle speed, seat stiffness and seat damping on ride discomfort.","PeriodicalId":417746,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation","volume":"929 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130880991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}