International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics最新文献

{"title":"Effects of control parameters of wearable robotics on muscle activity during assisted elbow flexion","authors":"Yuan Yang ,&nbsp;Wen Liang Yeoh ,&nbsp;Jeewon Choi ,&nbsp;Teerapapa Luecha ,&nbsp;Ping Yeap Loh ,&nbsp;Satoshi Muraki","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103660","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103660","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>One way to provide assistance in a dynamic lifting task is to pre-emptively move the exoskeleton based on a predicted reference trajectory. However, the level of aggressiveness in the prediction (i.e., how far ahead in time) and the exoskeleton's degree of adherence to the reference trajectory (stiffness) are not yet fully understood. This study investigated the effects of stiffness and pre-emptive offset parameters in an impedance-controlled robotic arm on muscle activation and perceived exertion of the user. Thirteen participants were instructed to lift a load equivalent to 15% of their maximal voluntary contracted force in collaboration with a robotic arm with 40°–135° of elbow flexion in 1.12 s. Three levels of stiffness (lower: 0.1 N m deg⁻¹, medium: 0.2 N m deg⁻¹, and higher: 0.31 N m deg⁻¹) and two levels of pre-emptive offsets (shorter: 0.1 s and longer: 0.4 s) were investigated. We found that (1) during 0–0.5 s (acceleration stage) of elbow flexion, a higher stiffness level and a longer pre-emptive offset decreased muscle activity; (2) during 0.5–1 s (deceleration stage) of elbow flexion, medium and higher stiffness with a shorter pre-emptive offset decreased muscle activity; (3) the perceived exertion and assistance of participants were improved with a higher stiffness and a longer pre-emptive offset, whereas cooperation was rated higher at a shorter pre-emptive offset under higher stiffness. This study reveals that the optimal parameters for stiffness and pre-emptive offsets for predictive impedance controls are different for different stages of elbow flexion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103660"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142657028","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}

{"title":"You cannot have both – Two different ways of change implementation and their effects on adaptive performance and frustration","authors":"Wiebke M. Roling ,&nbsp;Marcus Grum ,&nbsp;Norbert Gronau ,&nbsp;Annette Kluge","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103669","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103669","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The dynamics and frequency of change in today's workplaces force organizations to address the question of how to create optimal conditions for facilitating adaptation to change. Identifying critical factors that affect performance and well-being in change situations can help answer this question. Given the need for applied research in this area, the aim of this paper is to investigate whether the way of change implementation has an impact on performance and well-being. Additionally, retentivity and specific self-efficacy as individual factors are exploratorily investigated. In an experimental study, seventy-one participants learned and trained specific manufacturing steps in a simulated production environment. Subsequently, they had to adapt the trained task execution as some of the previously learned manufacturing steps were subject to change. The changes were implemented a) either in a stepwise manner or b) all at once. The executed manufacturing steps were recorded, enabling the calculation of task execution time and classification of adaptation errors. The results of Mann-Whitney-U-tests showed that the stepwise introduction of changes led to significantly faster task execution time than the change introduction all at once. Additionally, descriptive statistics indicated fewer adaptation errors but higher frustration. Our exploratory analysis showed a significant negative relationship between retentivity and task execution time, as well as between specific self-efficacy and frustration. Stepwise change introduction seems to be beneficial for adaptation, even though emotional responses and individual factors must be considered.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103669"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142721860","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}

{"title":"Working memory capacity prevents pilots' loss of situation awareness in distraction scenarios——An eye-movement study","authors":"Xudong Xie ,&nbsp;Jiazhong Yang ,&nbsp;Yuan Li ,&nbsp;Ming Ji","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103667","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103667","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous flight accidents have been attributed to pilots' lack of situation awareness (SA), with distraction being a significant contributing factor. Therefore, identifying factors that may protect pilots' SA under distraction conditions and explore their mechanisms is crucial for promoting aviation safety. This study empirically investigates the effects of individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) on pilots' SA when performing secondary tasks. The pilots were divided into two groups based on their performance on the WMC test and were asked to complete a simulated cockpit monitoring task under three secondary task difficulty conditions (no task, low-difficulty task, and high-difficulty task). SA in the simulated monitoring tasks was measured using the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT), and eye movement data were collected to analyze visual behaviors and attention allocation. Results showed that the difficulty of secondary task significantly impacted overall SA, the perceptual level of SA and dwell times; however, secondary task difficulty did not affect the perceptual level of SA in pilots with high WMC. These results suggest that WMC protects pilots' perceptual level SA when they perform secondary tasks. This study provides additional insights into the mechanisms of working memory in protecting SA and offers theoretical guidance for the design of complex technical systems and pilot psychological selection, which can help promote aviation safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103667"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142697794","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":"Sedentary behavior and musculoskeletal symptoms among work from home employees","authors":"Jia-Hua Lin ,&nbsp;Benjamin Kaufman ,&nbsp;Ro-Ting Lin ,&nbsp;Stephen Bao","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103653","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103653","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Work from home (WFH) may result in less physical activity and more sedentary behaviour among office employees. The consequence to body pain is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess longitudinal sedentary behaviour change and pain association among office workers who have been working from home. Baseline survey was administered to a cohort of office employees in January–February 2020. In March, all employees started to work from home in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The additional surveys took place in April, June, and December 2020. The survey consisted of IPAQ, which included sitting time report, along with self-reported proportion of time spent standing during work, and body pain. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyse the trends in pain scores, and their associations to sitting time and standing frequency. The cohort consisted of 143 participants at baseline. Participants reported lower pain scores for neck (risk ratio = 0.90, CI = 0.82–0.99) and back (risk ratio = 0.85, CI = 0.75–0.96) in December, compared with pain scores at baseline. Neck pain among participants with more standing was lower than those with infrequent standing (risk ratio = 0.87, CI = 0.79–0.96). Weekly sitting time had no statistically significant effect on body pain scores. For WFH employees, more standing appears to have a significant protective effect on the neck. Being more sedentary during work does not have a clear detrimental effect on long-term musculoskeletal health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103653"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142553627","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":"Imagining the future household refrigerator: A study investigating the dimension of user needs","authors":"Shangshang Zhu,&nbsp;Xiaoxiao Wang,&nbsp;Wenjie Li,&nbsp;Yenan Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103666","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103666","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Household refrigerator concepts have evolved with changing applicational scenarios and requirements, providing users with support for healthy eating, personal care, and other activities in the kitchen and other areas of the home. However, current research on exploring user expectations and requirements for household refrigerators lacks considering the perspective of applicational scenarios and activity support. For this study, we invited 45 participants to explore immersive experience methods and conducted semi-structured interviews to investigate user requirements for future household refrigerators in different home areas and obtain dimensional details related to user needs, ultimately generating new insights into the demand for connected, intelligent, emotional, easy to use. Our findings are instructive for the design of future refrigerators in household scenarios and provide guidance and references for the design of other smart home appliances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103666"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142697916","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":"Risk assessment of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in typical positions, case study: Operation and maintenance employees of oil and gas pipeline","authors":"Yuhao Wang,&nbsp;Yan Zhang,&nbsp;Jiehua He,&nbsp;Ruipeng Tong","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103662","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103662","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) seriously affect the health and well-being of oil and gas pipeline network operation and maintenance (O&amp;M) employees. To assess the risk of WMSDs among employees in oil and gas pipeline O&amp;M, this study constructs a systematic assessment methodology with typical job positions as the assessment object. This methodology includes identifying typical positions utilizing the Delphi method, determining the weights of risk indicators using the analytic network process, analyzing the impact consequences and possibilities of risk factors using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model, and evaluating the WMSD risk of each typical position combined with the risk assessment matrix. Moreover, the practicality and advantages of the methodology are verified through a case study. The results show that the method effectively assesses the WMSD risk of typical jobs in oil and gas pipeline operation and maintenance. Among the risk factors, movement and posture factors, as well as labor organization factors, had higher influence weights. Six typical jobs were identified, of which production process operators and mechanical maintenance engineers are high-risk jobs, while safety and environmental engineers have relatively low WMSD risk. Overall, this study provides an effective tool for assessing WMSD risk, thus promoting the well-being of O&amp;M employees.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103662"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142697915","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":"Analysis of driver's physiological responses and task load in curved and spiral tunnels: A naturalistic driving experiment","authors":"Lei Han ,&nbsp;Zhigang Du","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103664","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103664","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to analyze the physiological responses and task load of drivers in curved and spiral tunnels. Spiral tunnels, a unique solution for complex terrains, exhibit distinct geometric and functional characteristics compared to curved tunnels. Despite advances in spiral tunnel design in China, concerns about driver safety persist. The research recruited 30 participants to conduct naturalistic driving experiments in curved and spiral tunnels. By analyzing heart rate variability (HRV) indices and using factor analysis, four HRV indices (HR, SDNN, LF/HF, SampEn) were selected as primary indicators. Results from statistical analysis showed that drivers had a significantly higher average heart rate (HR) in spiral tunnels compared to curved tunnels (F(1,1198) = 593.29, p &lt; 0.01), indicating greater psychological stress and physiological burden. The standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN) was lower in spiral tunnels (F(1,1198) = 868.18, p &lt; 0.01), suggesting reduced heart rate variability and a more dominant sympathetic tone. The ratio of low-frequency power to high-frequency power (LF/HF) was higher in spiral tunnels (F(1,1198) = 419.85, p &lt; 0.01), indicating increased sympathetic nervous system activity. Additionally, the sample entropy (SampEn) of the electrocardiogram was lower in spiral tunnels (F(1,1198) = 1595.05, p &lt; 0.01), suggesting a decrease in the complexity of the ECG signal and a weaker autonomic nerve regulation ability of the heart. Subjective task load evaluation using the NASA-TLX scale further revealed that drivers experienced a higher task load across various dimensions such as mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, effort, frustration, and performance in spiral tunnels. In summary, this study provides valuable insights into the physiological and psychological responses of drivers in curved and spiral tunnels, contributing to optimizing tunnel design, improving driver education and training, and enhancing tunnel safety and the overall driving experience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103664"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142657155","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":"Assessing the link between occupational risk factors, work-related musculoskeletal disorders and quality of work life: An analysis using PLS-SEM","authors":"Jonhatan Magno Norte da Silva ,&nbsp;Lucas Gomes Miranda Bispo ,&nbsp;Wilza Karla dos Santos Leite ,&nbsp;Elarama Marama de Araujo Vieira ,&nbsp;Alexandre Henrique Silva Lisboa ,&nbsp;Rafaela de Sá Teixeira","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103658","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103658","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article aimed to test the hypotheses of a complex model considering the chain relationship between occupational risk factors, work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) symptoms, and Quality of Work Life (QWL) perceived by workers. We assessed psychosocial risk factors utilizing items from the Job Content Questionnaire, the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire, and the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II. The biomechanical factors analyzed included poor trunk and upper limb postures, excessive lifting, and prolonged standing. Organizational factors evaluated were monotonous work, tight deadlines, and low stimulation for teamwork. Using the Nordic and Walton Questionnaires, we assessed workers’ perceptions of WMSD symptoms and QWL. We constructed the model using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The measurement model assessed reliability (composite reliability) and validity tests (average variance extracted, Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio of correlations method, and Fornell-Larcker criterion). The structural model analyzed direct and indirect paths between factors and tested the hypotheses (bootstrapping method). Results indicate that most biomechanical factors affect WMSDs mediated by physical work demands. Physical work demands have a direct impact on WMSDs and stress. Good psychosocial conditions alleviate stress, reduce WMSD symptoms, and increase QWL. Harmful organizational factors acted indirectly on WRMSDs, amplifying stress perception. Finally, WMSDs worsen QWL. We concluded that the model is valid with satisfactory psychometrics for measuring and relating risk factors, WMSDs, and QWL, providing insights that can guide professionals and researchers in planning and implementing actions to prevent risks and WMSD symptoms and improve QWL.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103658"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142553539","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 a passive shoulder exoskeleton on a sensorimotor task when performed above and at shoulder height","authors":"Jianyang Tang ,&nbsp;Dongjoon Kong ,&nbsp;Leia Stirling","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103668","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103668","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exoskeletons have emerged as an opportunity for reducing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) for industry workers. However, it is not clear how these exoskeletons will affect task or work-related performance. In this study, the effect of task height and the presence of a shoulder-support exoskeleton on sensorimotor performance was examined. Participants (n = 24) performed a sensorimotor multidirectional tapping task using a grip tool under two task heights (at shoulder, 40° above shoulder) and exoskeleton presence (present, absent). Results support that accuracy, error rate, and precision were not affected by task height and exoskeleton presence, while movement time (3.7% average movement time increase at shoulder height and 9.7% average movement time increase above shoulder height with exoskeleton presence) and throughput (3.3% average throughput decrease at shoulder height and 7.3% average throughput decrease at above shoulder height with exoskeleton presence) were affected when the exoskeleton was present. Results also support that the perceived discomfort, fatigue, and workload were influenced by task height and exoskeleton presence. This study expands understanding of the effect of a passive exoskeleton during a sensorimotor assessment task, which provides added context for industry decision-making on using exoskeletons as a method to mitigate WMSDs and motivates future design recommendations for exoskeletons.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103668"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142697793","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":"Research on similarity bias in dual objective visual search based on nuclear power human-machine interface icons","authors":"Yuqi He ,&nbsp;Xiaoli Wu ,&nbsp;Xingcan Yang ,&nbsp;Zexi Fang ,&nbsp;Qian Li ,&nbsp;Yongqiang Huang ,&nbsp;Zhiyu Wang ,&nbsp;Yue Luo ,&nbsp;Jiaqi Zhou ,&nbsp;Donglin Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103656","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ergon.2024.103656","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Using icons from nuclear power interface as the research object, this study explored how icon similarity affected the performance of dual objective visual search. Firstly, the process of generating similarity bias was described from the perspective of human cognitive processing. The feature attributes of nuclear power icons were extracted, and then associated and mapped with similarity bias attributes. Secondly, a total of 16 instruction icons, device icons, and component icons were selected to propose icon coding logic for different similarity dimensions, and similarity experimental materials were designed. Finally, a dual objective search experiment with a 4 × 4 matrix was conducted to explore the impact of graph similarity on search performance and to determine the priority of perceptual similarity, semantic similarity, and memory similarity. High-level (H) similarity between the two targets resulted in superior visual search performance (p = 0.01 between the response times of similarity high and medium/low). Improving experiential familiarity enhanced search performance in cases of low-level (L) (p = 0.021) and medium-level (M) (p ≤ 0.009) icon similarity, but had no significant impact on search performance in cases of high-level (H) similarity (p ≥ 0.269). Compared to semantic similarity, enhancing perceptual similarity was more likely to improve search performance(p = 0.024).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50317,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103656"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142536004","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}