Applied Ergonomics最新文献

{"title":"Effects of adopting voice assistants countermeasures on alerting drowsy drivers across age.","authors":"Wei Zhang, Oliver Carsten, Courtney M Goodridge, Wei Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104616","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104616","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Drowsy driving is one of the leading contributing factors to traffic accidents. As drivers continue driving despite being aware of their drowsy states, it is necessary to adopt active countermeasures to avoid them falling asleep behind the wheel. Based on the multiple resources model, this study proposed five countermeasure types using voice assistants (no-countermeasure vs. meaninglessly listening vs. meaningfully listening vs. repeating vs. answering) and investigated their effects on countering drowsiness for young and middle-aged drivers. A five-week simulated manual driving experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of countermeasures based on driver performance, physiological indicators, eye movement indicators, and subjective ratings. Results indicated that repeating and answering were the two most effective countermeasures. The self-reported sleepiness of these two countermeasures (6.328 and 5.276 for repeating and answering, respectively) were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than that of the no-countermeasure (7.983). The physiological arousal state in term of skin conductance level for the two (1.798 and 1.990 for repeating and answering, respectively) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of the no-countermeasure (1.022). Consistent patterns were also found in driving performance, eye movement indicators, psychomotor vigilance task accuracy, and subjective acceptance ratings. These findings suggested that countermeasures involving more resource stages can enhance drivers' alertness. The trend of higher alertness in the answering condition compared to the repeating condition highlighted the advantage of increasing cognitive load in countering drowsiness. Although young and middle-aged drowsy drivers did not differ on their average responses to different countermeasures, they showed differences in their physiological activation in reacting to the countermeasures. Drowsiness countermeasures should be tailored to fulfill individual needs, particularly for middle-aged drivers. This study not only clarifies how drowsiness countermeasures work but also offers practical guidance for vehicle designers on using in-vehicle voice assistants effectively.</p>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"104616"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144805286","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":"Optimizing heated driver seat design: Thermal comfort in cold weather.","authors":"Jangwoon Park, Hongwei Hsiao, Baekhee Lee, Kang Yen Lee, Joo Hwan Son","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104614","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104614","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heated seats are increasingly used in vehicles to improve thermal comfort, yet preferred temperatures across different seat zones remain underexplored. This study examined seat surface temperature preferences across six seatback and cushion zones, considering the effects of weather conditions and user demographics. A total of 102 participants-diverse in sex, age, body size, and ethnicity-participated in a controlled experiment simulating -8 °C to 12 °C and 35 %-75 % humidity. Results indicated that colder conditions led to higher preferred temperatures at four seat zones, with female participants generally favoring warmer settings than males. The findings support the need for seat heating systems with individual controls for multiple zones. Twelve predictive models-six each for basic and advanced seat designs-were developed to estimate optimal seat temperatures. These models can help automotive manufacturers improve seat heating systems by integrating them into AI-assisted technologies for adaptive thermal regulation, ultimately enhancing occupant comfort and satisfaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"104614"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144796183","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 influence of job characteristics on the adoption of driver advisory systems for energy-efficient driving: Insights from a longitudinal field study in rail operations.","authors":"Gina N Schnücker, Johannes Salge, Linda Onnasch","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104597","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104597","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigates the impact of Driver Advisory Systems (DAS) for eco-efficient driving on train drivers' job characteristics and job satisfaction, and their effects on acceptance and compliance with the system. Driving and questionnaire data from 16 drivers equipped with DAS were collected over a five-month period. Questionnaire data were compared to questionnaire data of a control group (n = 18). Contrary to expectations, DAS did not significantly alter job characteristics or occupational satisfaction. However, drivers with higher task identity and occupational satisfaction demonstrated greater acceptance of and compliance with DAS, highlighting the interplay between work design and technology adoption. Regression analyses indicated that perceived usefulness, task identity, and skill variety were key predictors of compliance. Despite our small sample size, our study provides first indications about the value of considering aspects of work design to understand drivers' willingness to drive more energy-efficiently with the support of DAS.</p>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"104597"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144812704","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 foot-transmitted vibration on gait metrics, kinematics, and dynamic stability.","authors":"Flavia Marrone, Nicole Sanna, Elena Falchi, Angelo Tirabasso, Massimo Bovenzi, Marco Tarabini","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104618","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104618","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Transport operators face increased risks of injuries and falls while walking on a vibrating floor. No standards exist for human exposure to foot-transmitted vibration (FTV). In this study, twenty-one subjects walked on a treadmill constrained on a moving platform used to apply harmonic vibrations in four directions (mediolateral, anteroposterior, roll, and pitch) at four frequencies (0.5, 0.75, 1, and 1.5 Hz) with constant displacement (2 cm or 1°). The gait metrics, kinematic, and stability data were extracted in correspondence with the onset/offset of platform movement and when the steady-state of FTV was reached. Mediolateral vibration at the highest frequency was the most impactful condition, leading to the adoption of compensatory strategies to stabilize the center of mass closer to the floor and enlarge the base of support. These findings suggest that, from a normative perspective, a specific weighting curve is needed to assess human response to FTV while walking, since it varies as a function of vibration frequency and direction.</p>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"104618"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144805287","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":"A comprehensive mixed-methods usability evaluation of COVID-19 home test kits: focusing on effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction.","authors":"Junhee Choi, YeahNa Ryu, Jung Chan Lee, Saram Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104654","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104654","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated COVID-19 home test kit usability focusing on effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction across diverse users and environments. Using a mixed-methods approach-including use analysis, user experience survey (n = 1045), and usability testing (n = 80) in South Korea-we identified a significant gap between high user satisfaction and actual performance. Despite positive satisfaction metrics (SUS score: 74.37 %), we observed concerns regarding effectiveness (29.9 % error rate) and efficiency (20 % unnecessary second kit use, 57.5 % repeated instruction references). The usability of home test kits was significantly influenced by age, education level, and prior experience, while the testing environment showed a less pronounced but still observable effect. Based on our findings, we propose design improvements to instructions, physical components of test kits, and instruction presentation. This research highlights the importance of usability in designing test kits that accommodate diverse populations, potentially improving public health outcomes and pandemic preparedness.</p>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"130 ","pages":"104654"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145245580","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":"Acceptance of mobile health applications by the general public: the roles of technology acceptance model constructs, health-app-specific factors, and socio-demographic moderators.","authors":"Zhenzhen Xie, Calvin Or, Xu-Chun Ye","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104655","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104655","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite the transformative potential of health applications (apps) to improve the general public's health and healthcare knowledge, their acceptance remains a barrier to success. Although research on health app acceptance has expanded, most studies have focused on classical factors, such as those in the technology acceptance model (TAM), giving less attention to health-app-specific factors, such as technological characteristics and operational details.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To expand our knowledge of the factors influencing health app acceptance, particularly among the general public, this study aimed to (i) develop and test a model of acceptance (measured by intention to use) that incorporates TAM constructs and health-app-specific factors and (ii) examine the moderating effects of selected socio-demographic characteristics on intention to use.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We formulated an acceptance model by expanding the TAM to include nine additional constructs and tested it using a cross-sectional survey of 600 adults from the general public, stratified by age, gender, and district of residence. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied to test the structural model. Multigroup analyses examined whether age, gender, education level, and household income moderated the relationships between model factors and acceptance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The model accounted for 55 % of the variance in acceptance, which was positively influenced by perceived usefulness, mHealth literacy, smartphone screen size, and healthcare providers' attitudes and negatively affected by smartphone memory consumption. Perceived ease of use, favorable features, and quality of information explained 58 % of the variance in perceived usefulness. Regarding moderation, older individuals showed less concern about perceived usefulness, whereas men and individuals with higher education levels exhibited less concern about smartphone screen size.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our acceptance model showed strong empirical fit and the potential to support health app development and deployment. To achieve acceptance among the general public, app developers should enhance app usability, ensure high-quality information, include desirable app features, and meet user needs. Usability testing and stakeholder-centered design approaches are essential to achieve these goals.</p>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"130 ","pages":"104655"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145245593","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 effects of locomotion and steering methods in virtual reality on unintended positional drift.","authors":"Chae Heon Lim, Hwanhun Lee, Doheon Kim, Min Chul Cha, Seul Chan Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104652","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104652","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Unintended positional drift (UPD) is an important factor during virtual reality (VR) use, as it may contribute to safety risks diminishing user experience, potentially hindering the broader adoption of VR technology. This study investigated the effects of locomotion and steering methods on UPD through a 2 × 2 within-subject experiment. We selected two locomotion methods (joystick and teleportation) and two steering methods (controller-based and physical-based). Thirty-two participants (16 males and 16 females; mean age = 22.65 years, SD = 2.06) completed a VR task under all four conditions. Joystick locomotion resulted in significantly greater movement variance (MV) compared to teleportation, leading to higher Y-axis MV per minute (MVY: p = .043) and significantly longer task completion time (TCT: p = .002). For subjective measures, joystick locomotion also produced higher body movement cognition (BMC) (p = .001) and greater postural stability questionnaire scores (PSQ) (p < .001). Compared to controller steering, physical steering resulted in significantly greater total movement (TM) and MV, including TMX, TMY, MVX, and MVY (all p < .001). Physical steering also led to higher BMC (p < .001), greater PSQ scores (p < .001), and increased virtual embodiment questionnaire (VEQ) scores-specifically for ownership (p = .002) and agency (p < .001). These findings suggest that the choice of locomotion and steering methods in VR should be carefully tailored to the intended application, with designers considering the trade-offs associated with UPD.</p>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"130 ","pages":"104652"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145234290","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 usability and perceived benefits and barriers of portable lift assist devices among paramedic workers","authors":"Hailey M. Nestor ,&nbsp;Amanda M. Calford ,&nbsp;Daphne C. Ho ,&nbsp;Richard Ferron ,&nbsp;Taylor Cleworth ,&nbsp;Andrew C. Laing ,&nbsp;Steven L. Fischer","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104651","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104651","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Patient lifting can expose health care workers to musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk factors. Portable lift assist devices may reduce exposure during lifting, however limited evidence on user feedback and efficacy is available to inform purchase decisions. Therefore, we tested the efficacy of two portable lift assist devices relative to a manual lift when lifting an individual from the floor. Participants lifted an actor from the floor using a manual technique and by using two lift assist devices, either an inflatable bladder or a mechanical device. Ratings of perceived exertion demonstrated that the lift assist devices decreased or maintained perceived exertion relative to the manual lift. Semi-structured interviews provided context where perceived benefits of the devices (i.e., decreased exertion and MSD risk) outweighed barriers (i.e., added time to call). The results of this study can inform stakeholders making decisions about lift assist devices purchases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"130 ","pages":"Article 104651"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145208568","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":"Influence of seating orientation on motion sickness in autonomous vehicles","authors":"Leonhard Rottmann ,&nbsp;Aniella Johannsen ,&nbsp;Mathias Niedling ,&nbsp;Mark Vollrath","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104643","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104643","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A major advantage of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is the passengers’ ability to perform non-driving related tasks (NDRTs) while being driven. Among these NDRTs, social interaction with other passengers is considered to be particularly valuable. Seating layouts featuring rotatable front seats will enable a new level of social interaction during autonomous car journeys. However, being seated against the direction of travel is not very popular. Fear of motion sickness is one of the main reasons for this reluctance, which is commonly explained by the inability to see the road ahead. This raises the question to what extent motion sickness in rearward facing passengers of autonomous vehicles is to be expected and to what degree this is caused by the inability to see through the windscreen. To answer this question, a field experiment in real traffic with N = 55 participants was conducted. Seating orientation and forward view were manipulated and their effects on motion sickness as well as related factors relevant to the acceptance of AVs were analyzed. Both a rearward seating orientation and a restricted forward view led to significantly increased motion sickness. The insights gained serve as a basis for the development of HMIs that improve the acceptance of rearward facing seating orientations in AVs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"130 ","pages":"Article 104643"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145202101","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":"Proprioception and vision relationship in aimed movement with restricted and reversed vision","authors":"Yuqian Wang ,&nbsp;Ravindra S. Goonetilleke ,&nbsp;Ray F. Lin ,&nbsp;Ameersing Luximon ,&nbsp;Yan Luximon","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104649","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104649","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human movement relies on visual and proprioceptive inputs, and the movement can be hampered when either input provides limited or distorted information, as in robotic surgery, virtual reality, or spaceflight. This study examines how proprioception influences performance in aimed movement tasks under restricted and inverted visual conditions. An experiment with 24 participants showed slower movements and increased information processing demands with incompatible visual feedback. The difference was diminished when the proprioceptive variability was controlled through ANCOVA. The findings allude to the necessity of considering individual differences in proprioceptive ability when evaluating performance across different visual conditions. These results can help develop training protocols and design interfaces when visual and proprioception sensory feedback are incompatible. Also, continuous visual feedback of hand movement may not be necessary. Instead, a correctly sized visual window of the target is sufficient for aimed movement tasks. This result has practical implications, especially when optimizing VR renders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"130 ","pages":"Article 104649"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158361","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}