International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics最新文献

{"title":"Experimental investigation of submersible buoyancy regulation and support task performance under different levels of automation and varying workloads","authors":"Chenyuan Yang ,&nbsp;Liping Pang ,&nbsp;Bingxu Zhao ,&nbsp;Wentao Wu ,&nbsp;Xiaodong Cao","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103713","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103713","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A submersible mechanical support operator is mainly responsible for monitoring and handling the submersible Buoyancy Regulation and Support (BRS) system. Operators are frequently faced uneven task frequencies due to unpredictable failures, leading to different Workload Level (WL) and potential safety risks. To enhance the task performance of submersible, this study explores adjusting the Level Of Automation (LOA) under different WLs to achieve effective allocation of human-machine functions. This study designed 7 LOAs (LOA1-LOA7) and recruited 36 subjects for experiments to analyze the impact of different LOAs and varying WLs on submersible BRS system task performance. This study primarily focused on determining the optimal LOA under three WLs by examining five key aspects, including subjective WL, work performance, Situation Awareness (SA), eye movement indicators, and Electrocardiogram (ECG). The results showed that under Low Workload Level (LWL), LOA2, LOA6, and LOA7 significantly improved work performance, but LOA6 and LOA7 resulted in a state of underload. Therefore, LOA2 was identified as the optimal LOA for LWL. Under Medium Workload Level (MWL), LOA4, LOA6, and LOA7 significantly improved both subjective WL and work performance. However, LOA6 and LOA7 also significantly reduced the SA levels of the subjects, making LOA4 the optimal LOA for MWL. Under High Workload Level (HWL), although LOA2 to LOA7 significantly improved the accuracy and response time, LOA6 and LOA7 notably reduced the subjective WL level and work time percentage. At LOA7, the subjects exhibited SA, the largest saccade amplitude, and the lowest saccade velocity. Therefore, LOA7 could be identified as the optimal LOA for HWL. The research findings underscore the importance of rationally considering dynamic function allocation strategy to enhance submersible operator performance under varying WLs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"106 ","pages":"Article 103713"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143436752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"IMU-based estimation of body posture: Laboratory validation in simulated commercial fishing","authors":"Umme Kawsar Alam ,&nbsp;Ji-Chul Ryu ,&nbsp;Jeong Ho Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103712","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103712","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) account for a significant portion of all occupational injuries and illnesses in the U.S. This is especially concerning for physically demanding professions such as commercial fishing and farming. To investigate the relationship between WMSDs and non-neutral working postures, it is necessary to accurately quantify the working postures. However, due to the challenging working environment, for example, offshore and wet conditions in commercial fishing, objective biomechanical assessment using video or optical-based motion capture systems is extremely difficult. Therefore, this paper proposes an alternative approach to quantify body postures using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor. We employed an IMU to determine the orientation of the torso and arm during two simulated commercial fishing tasks in a laboratory setting using two sensor fusion methods: complementary filter and Kalman filter. The estimation accuracy of each filter in these tasks is validated and compared using reference data obtained from a motion capture system that utilizes multiple vision cameras.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"106 ","pages":"Article 103712"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143430231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating the influence of multitasking and gender in visuomotor skills of 1578 pilot candidates","authors":"Frédéric R. Danion ,&nbsp;Cécile R. Scotto ,&nbsp;Frédéric Choisay ,&nbsp;Lucas Debray ,&nbsp;Alexandre Rey ,&nbsp;Vincent Ferrandez","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103710","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103710","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Because accurate eye-hand-foot coordination and the ability to simultaneously achieve several tasks are key for piloting, pilot selection typically involves dual/triple tasking in conjunction with visuomotor tests that rely on tracking a moving target with the hand and/or the feet. Because there is also a requirement to integrate more women in military jobs, here we examined the influence of gender over 1578 candidates who performed such tests during their application process for entry into the French Air and Space Force flight school. By means of a flight evaluation system, volunteers performed pursuit tracking tasks that required to move a control stick or rudder either separately (single tasking), conjointly (dual tasking), or conjointly while performing mental calculation (triple tasking). The flight simulator was designed such that maneuvering the stick (but not the rudder) dictated its inclination. Stick and rudder tracking performance were evaluated through the mean distance and lag between cursor and target. For all types of tests, the tracking scores of men outperformed those of women, especially when the flight simulator was oscillating. In contrast to stick tracking, rudder tracking suffered extensively from dual and triple tasking for all candidates. Although our findings align with other studies reporting gender differences in visuomotor tracking, they bring attention to known gender differences in the vestibular system. Moreover, under cognitive load, control of the stick is prioritized at the expense of the rudder control. This finding has practical implications for guiding assistance during delicate situations that require concurrent maneuvering of stick and rudder.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"106 ","pages":"Article 103710"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143420946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantitative assessment of driver visibility of a cyclist though computer model","authors":"Rina Maiti","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103692","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103692","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Quantitative assessment of truck driver visibility of the on-road cyclist is very complex in nature. In this present study, a sophisticated computer model is developed based on perspective projection of the cyclist on the image plane along with driver's Field-of-View (FOV) region. The visual acuity angle is calculated on these cyclist images. The result shows that the presence of cyclists in the FOV region does not ensure the driver's visibility of cyclists as FOV depends on the angles of incident-ray originated from the eyepoint on convex mirror curved surface independent of cyclist image on the mirror plane. Visual acuity angle results shows difficulty level of driver's visibility. Recommended ground plane visibility region is insufficient to ensure the driver visibility of actual road users. This result also highlights different on-road safety hazards related to driver visibility. A solution is proposed on the placement of passenger side rare-view mirror for better visibility.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"106 ","pages":"Article 103692"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143130716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the relationships between product meanings","authors":"Engin Kapkın ,&nbsp;Sharon Joines","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103697","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103697","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Products should sustain their durability while offering positive product experiences leading to perceived product meanings. Product affordances, product semantics, emotions, and the experiences that products offer have been studied extensively in recent years. Previous studies have explored the link between the physical qualities of product forms and their perceived meanings. However, the relationships between different product meanings remain less understood. This experimental study aims to investigate these interrelationships, proposing that certain perceived product meanings may trigger additional meanings, which can be associated, linked, or disconnected. Participants interacted with nine hard drives and nine soap dispenser prototypes while they provided insights on certain perceived meanings during the experiment. Each prototype has similar physical qualities except the edges and corners are manipulated incrementally from sharp to round. The data were converted to relatedness scores to conduct pathfinder networks to reveal local interactions and the multidimensional scaling method to explore global relations between perceived product meanings. Results indicate that several product meanings coexist and influence one another. Drawing on the results, the study introduces an “interactionist framework of product meanings” emphasizing interaction-centered user engagement along two identified dimensions: “repulsive or inviting for interaction” and “readiness for interaction”. Accordingly, designers are encouraged to strategically assign meanings to product forms by leveraging the framework's structure, prioritizing central product meanings, and their associated peripherals, as well as context-dependent and bridging meanings. This approach seeks to facilitate the development of more targeted and effective meaning-driven design strategies.</div><div>Relevance to industry: This study provides evidence that perceived product meanings coexist and interact dynamically. The presence of a specific meaning can trigger additional meanings due to the shared qualities of product forms. The interactionist framework of product meanings introduces two dimensions for understanding how product forms can guide user responses. Designers may benefit from emphasizing central product meanings within these dimensions, using them to modulate peripheral and bridging meanings, thereby fostering specific interaction tendencies. These insights empower industry professionals to create product forms that resonate with users through targeted and meaningful interactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"106 ","pages":"Article 103697"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143130717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of occupation-related and worker-related factors on upper limb disorders using strain index among O∗NET jobs","authors":"Li Liu ,&nbsp;Jiansi Li ,&nbsp;Fu Guo ,&nbsp;Siu Shing Man","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103701","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103701","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to investigate the effect of occupation-related and worker-related factors correlated with possible upper limb disorders (ULDs) among O∗NET jobs. Worker-related factors included basic skills, employees, and education and training and occupation-related factors included automation level, job zone, job hazard, median wage, and industry. The Occupational Information Network (O∗NET) database was utilized to create measures of the strain index (SI) score of each occupation. Results showed that job hazards and basic skills had the greatest influence on ULDs. Negative associations have been found between ULDs and skill, education and training, job zone, and median wage. Conversely, lower annual wages were associated with higher SI scores and a greater risk of ULDs. These findings suggest that future research and practical applications should consider both occupation-level and worker-level factors, as well as their interactions, to effectively understand and mitigate injury risks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"106 ","pages":"Article 103701"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143130715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Objective evaluation of 35 heart rate variability parameters for predicting takeover performance in conditionally automated driving","authors":"N. Zhang ,&nbsp;S. Tohmuang ,&nbsp;M. Fard ,&nbsp;J.L. Davy ,&nbsp;S.R. Robinson","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103699","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103699","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Drivers will be free to engage in Non-Driving Related Tasks (NDRTs) during Level 3 conditionally automated driving. However, drivers may not be able to respond to takeover requests quickly and flawlessly if the level of mental workload invested in the NDRTs is non-optimal. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) has been reported to be a sensitive indicator of the mental workload during NDRT engagement, and some HRV parameters have been used in Machine Learning models that attempt to predict takeover performance. However, until now, the selection of HRV parameters has been <em>ad hoc.</em> The present study constructed an artificial intelligence model to conduct an unbiased evaluation of 35 HRV parameters for predicting takeover performance in various contexts. The model used performance data from 19 drivers collected under 3 NDRTs x 2 time intervals (6 conditions) in a driving simulator. The HRV parameters were ranked by the predictiveness of takeover performance, using two ground truths. The optimal data ranges for the nine most influential HRV parameters were identified, enabling the optimal level of mental workload during NDRT engagement to be inferred. The present study introduced four innovations: 1) the unbiased use of all HRV parameters; 2) treating each NDRT as a separate condition; 3) using SHAP analysis to identify the most influential parameters; 4) using SHAP analysis to identify the range of values for a given parameter that are associated with an optimal TOR. While previous researchers have focused on time-domain HRV parameters, this study demonstrated that frequency-domain and non-linear parameters offer comparable predictive power. Our novel approach optimises HRV parameters in an unbiased manner, enhancing the prediction of driver takeover performance and improving the development of driver monitoring and warning systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"106 ","pages":"Article 103699"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143130743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of altitude on worker health and project efficiency in tunnel construction","authors":"Shulei Zhao ,&nbsp;Sixun Wen ,&nbsp;Yallin Guo ,&nbsp;Bing Sun ,&nbsp;Wengan Chen ,&nbsp;Shuaishuai Wang ,&nbsp;Guo Yabin ,&nbsp;Chun Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103694","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103694","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The number of high-altitude tunnel construction projects in China is increasing, but the low-pressure and low-oxygen conditions in these areas pose significant safety risks to workers. The specific effects of such environments on construction workers are not fully understood, making it essential to compare the physiological indicators and labor intensity of workers in plain and high-altitude regions. This study used field tests, two-way ANOVA, and theoretical analysis to assess workers in typical plain and high-altitude tunnel construction. The findings reveal significant differences in physiological indicators, with high-altitude workers showing elevated heart rate, increased respiratory rate, greater cardiovascular strain, and reduced blood oxygen saturation. Altitude is identified as the most critical factor affecting these indicators, followed by the construction process. Interaction effects are particularly evident in respiratory rate and respiratory exchange rate. From an ergonomic perspective, labor intensity increases significantly in high-altitude construction, typically rising by 1–2 levels at 4700 m. Labor efficiency in high-altitude conditions is reduced to 80.28%–89.67% of that in plain areas, necessitating an increase in labor time by approximately 11.61%–24.56%. These findings highlight the need for improved safety management in high-altitude tunnel construction and provide valuable insights for similar projects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103694"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143183519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the impacts of background music on visual search in a simulated order-picking task: Performance, awareness, and subjective state","authors":"Clarissa M. Pesigan ,&nbsp;Gerard B. Remijn","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103693","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103693","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The benefits of music on the performance of easy and monotonous tasks have been widely investigated. However, how the potential advantages of music could be realized in an occupational context within a complex and noisy environment remains largely unexplored. A laboratory experiment with 30 participants was performed to assess how music (classical, jazz, pop, EDM, rock) of varying signal-to-noise ratios with warehouse sound (SNR +5, 0, −5, −10) impacts visual search in a simulated order-picking task. Results showed that relative to the warehouse sound alone, music led to neither negative nor positive effects on the participants’ performance, yet elicited increased arousal with vocal music, significantly improved valence and groove, but reduced awareness represented by the ability to detect truck beeps. Meanwhile, within genre, increasing music intensity caused diminished ability to detect truck beeps, but did not significantly influence search performance, affect and groove. To gain optimal tradeoff among comfort, productivity, quality and safety in the workplace, music of any genre could be used, preferably with upbeat tempo, vocals, and with a level difference between music and background (i.e, occupational) noise of maximally 5 dB (A). The study broadens the scientific understanding of music-at-work, and imparts practical guidance on how music may be implemented in easy and monotonous tasks under complex and noisy sound environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103693"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143183520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Validation of a 3D whole-body scanning system to collect anthropometric data from a working-age population for ergonomic design","authors":"Alexander Ackermann ,&nbsp;Sascha Wischniewski ,&nbsp;Dominik Bonin ,&nbsp;Anne-Kathrin Gaida ,&nbsp;Thomas Jaitner","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103698","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2025.103698","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A fundamental aspect of ergonomic design is the incorporation of anthropometric data to ensure usability and correct fit. If anthropometric dimensions from ISO 7250-1 are collected with a 3D body scanning system, the comparability with the manual measuring methods needs to be investigated according to ISO 20685-1. Thus, the aim of this study was to validate the 3D whole-body scanner Vitus Bodyscan in combination with the Anthroscan software. In this context, furthermore the influence of a color landmarking procedure and the use of the proprietary Anthroscan algorithm to generate watertight meshes prior to the measurement process was examined. The validation study was conducted with a diverse group of 44 adults between the ages of 18 and 67 residing in Germany. Color landmarking was performed for 16 anatomical landmarks and four 3D data types were used to determine scan-derived anthropometric dimensions (point cloud, non-watertight mesh with color information, watertight mesh without and with color information). Results show that of the 32 analyzed anthropometric dimensions, comparable scan-derived values could be obtained for 20 (62.5%) of them using different types of 3D data. Various factors (e.g., posture and tissue compression) generally affect the comparability of the two measuring methods. Nevertheless, color landmarks substantially improved comparability for some anthropometric dimensions by reducing potential landmarking errors. These findings need be considered in the collection and utilization of anthropoemtric data using a comparable 3D body scanning system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103698"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143183521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}