Ergonomics Commons^™

Drivers’ Hazard Avoidance During Vehicle Automation: Impact Of Mental Models And Implications For Training, Ganesh Pai Mangalore

Doctoral Dissertations

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are vehicle automation systems that have become more accessible and prevalent in vehicles in recent years. But the introduction of such technologies introduces new human factors challenges. Past literature suggests that users of vehicle automation lack the necessary and appropriate knowledge about their automation system. This may play a negative role in their hazard avoidance abilities when driving with automation features. Improving mental models and knowledge could generally lead to safer interactions with vehicle automation systems, but any effort to develop hazard avoidance skills when driving with vehicle automation is impeded by the lack of …

The Effects Of Blue Light From Digital Displays On Visual Fatigue, Victor Taboadela

Theses

With the ever-increasing viewing time of digital displays, the potential effects of blue light emitted from these displays on eye health and eye fatigue are a real concern. This study presents a literature review of six laboratory studies conducted between 2014 and 2022 on the effect of using filters to attenuate the harmful effects of blue light. The review delves into smartphone and computer screen effects, recent literature reviews on blue light, and potential hazards associated with short-wavelength light. Although the majority of the studies recommended blue light filters, only three of the six laboratory studies (Shi et al. 2021, …

Kwad - Ksu All Weather Autonomous Drone, Nick Farinacci, Sebastian Gomez, Stewart Baker, Ed Sheridan

Symposium of Student Scholars

"KWAD" or "KSU all-Weather Autonomous Drone" project was sponsored by Ultool, LLC to the KSU Research and Service Foundation to create a lightweight drone capable of capturing HD video during all-weather operations. The conditions of all-weather operation include rainfall of one inch per hour and wind speeds of up to twenty miles per hour. In addition, a global minimum structural safety factor of two is required to ensure the system's integrity in extreme weather conditions. Potential mission profiles include autonomous aerial delivery, topological mapping in high moisture areas, security surveillance, search and rescue operations, emergency transportation of medical supplies, and …

Passive Vs. Active Wearable Technology Monitoring Trunk Flexion In Elementary Teachers, Bailey Jose

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to assess the biomechanical and subjective measures of elementary school teachers while wearing active and/or passive wearable devices during the average workday. Five elementary school teachers wore a harness that held an Upright GO 2 posture tracking device and a Vicon Blue Trident sensor on the participant's upper back for two school days. Haptic feedback was on for one day and off for the other. Data from the Vicon wearable was analyzed to determine participants’ trunk flexion severity, frequency, and duration. Surveys were used to determine perceived exertion and perception of wearable technology. This …

A Generalizable Method And Case Application For Development And Use Of The Aviation Systems – Trust Survey (As-Ts)., Jamison Hicks

Theses and Dissertations

Automated systems are integral in the development of modern aircraft, especially for complex military aircraft. Pilot Trust in Automation (TIA) in these systems is vital for optimizing the pilot-vehicle interface and ensuring pilots use the systems appropriately to complete required tasks.

The objective of this research was to develop and validate a TIA scale and survey methodology to identify and mitigate trust deficiencies with automated systems for use in Army Aviation testing. There is currently no standard TIA assessment methodology for U.S. Army aviation pilots that identifies trust deficiencies and potential mitigations.

A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify …

Human Factors Engineering, Robert S. Keyser

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

Human Factors Engineering is a comprehensive survey of human factors theory, research, and applications which are of particular relevance to Quality and Engineering Management. Emphasis will be placed on operator constraints in the design of work processes, workplaces, and instrumentation.

The Effect Of Mental Demand On Body Postures, Rodrick Adams, Valentina Niño

Symposium of Student Scholars

How we perceive our work has a profound relationship with how our body reacts to help facilitate the performance of our tasks. This is an observational study of the experiment in which participants performed tasks under four different conditions (baseline, interruptions, time, and alarm) and used NASA-TLX (NASA- Task Load Index) scores to assess their mental workload for each condition across six dimensions: mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, effort, performance, and frustration level. We juxtaposed their NASA-TLX score with corresponding REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) scores while standing and RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) scores while sitting to determine …

Exploring The Effects Of Meaningful Tactile Display On Perception And Preference In Automated Vehicles, Kimberly D. Martinez, Gaojian Huang

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

There is an existing issue in human-machine interaction, such that drivers of semi-autonomous vehicles are still required to take over control of the vehicle during system limitations. A possible solution may lie in tactile displays, which can present status, direction, and position information while avoiding sensory (e.g., visual and auditory) channels overload to reliably help drivers make timely decisions and execute actions to successfully take over. However, limited work has investigated the effects of meaningful tactile signals on takeover performance. This study synthesizes literature investigating the effects of tactile displays on takeover performance in automated vehicles and conducts a human-subject …

Evaluating Safety And Productivity Relationship In Human-Robot Collaboration, Aayush Jain, Shakra Mehak, Philip Long, John D. Kelleher, Michael Guilfoyle, Maria Chiara Leva

Conference papers

Collaborative robots can improve ergonomics on factory floors while allowing a higher level of flexibility in production. The evolution of robotics and cyber-physical systems in size and functionality has enabled new applications which were never foreseen in traditional industrial robots. However, the current human-robot collaboration (HRC) technologies are limited in reliability and safety, which are vital in risk-critical scenarios. Certainly, confusion about European safety regulations has led to situations where collaborative robots operate behind security barriers, thus negating their advantages while reducing overall application productivity. Despite recent advances, developing a safe collaborative robotic system for performing complex industrial or daily …

A Biomechanical Approach To Prevent Falls In Ergonomic Settings, Sachini Kodithuwakku Arachchige

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Fall-related injuries are exceptionally prevalent in occupational settings. While endangering the workers’ health, falls cause poor productivity and increased economic burden in the workplace. Hence, identifying these threats and training workers to achieve proper postural control is crucial. Purpose: Study 1: To investigate the ankle joint kinematics in unexpected and expected trip responses during single-tasking (ST), dual-tasking (DT), and triple-tasking (TT), before and after a physically fatiguing exercise. Study 2: To investigate the impact of virtual heights, DT, and training on static postural stability and cognitive processing. Methods: Study 1: Twenty collegiate volunteers (10 males and females, one left …

Effect Of Automation Level On Cognitive Workload When Collaborating With A Robotic Assistant, Mitchell A. Champagne

LSU Master's Theses

Manufacturing robotics have been used for decades to perform repetitive tasks, or tasks that require increased levels of speed, strength, or precision to meet production and specification requirements. Determining the appropriate degree of automation for both the human and robot collaborative team members is critical to optimize production as well as user experience. If the degree of automation is too high, the human will be out of the loop which can result in the loss of situational awareness and be detrimental to intervention time and accuracy. If the degree of automation is too low, then the human may experience greater …

Improving Young Driver Perceptions Of Vulnerable Road Users Through A Persuasive Intervention, Shashank Mehrotra

Doctoral Dissertations

Vulnerable road users (VRUs), including bicyclists, pedestrians, and road users of other modalities, are at a higher risk of collision with young drivers when a complex traffic situation presents itself. Past research has established the importance of young drivers’ perceptions about VRUs that would encourage safe behavior. This research designed and evaluated a novel persuasive intervention that can help improve the perceptions of young drivers while they interact with VRUs. The study identified young drivers’ perceptions towards VRUs who have been licensed in the past 12 to 18 months through structured interviews. Based on these findings, an interactive intervention was …

The Development Of Authentic Virtual Reality Scenarios To Measure Individuals’ Level Of Systems Thinking Skills And Learning Abilities, Vidanelage L. Dayarathna

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops virtual reality modules to capture individuals’ learning abilities and systems thinking skills in dynamic environments. In the first chapter, an immersive queuing theory teaching module is developed using virtual reality technology. The objective of the study is to present systems engineering concepts in a more sophisticated environment and measure students learning abilities. Furthermore, the study explores the performance gaps between male and female students in manufacturing systems concepts. To investigate the gender biases toward the performance of developed VR module, three efficacy measures (simulation sickness questionnaire, systems usability scale, and presence questionnaire) and two effectiveness measures (NASA …

Comparing And Improving The Design Of Physical Activity Data Visualizations, Peter M. Frackleton

Masters Theses

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States, and older adults are at highest risk of being diagnosed with heart disease. Consistent physical exercise is an effective means of deterring onset of heart disease, and physical activity tracking devices can inspire greater activity in older adults. However, physical activity tracking device abandonment is quite common due to limitations on what can be learned from the activity data that is collected. Better data visualization of physical data presents an opportunity to surpass these limitations. In this thesis, a task-based human subject study was performed with three different …

Factors Affecting Drivers’ Off-Road Glance Behavior While Interacting With In-Vehicle Voice Interfaces – Insights From A Secondary Data Analysis, Fangda Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

Given the prevalence of in-vehicle technologies and the critical role of visual attention plays in driving safety, this dissertation work aimed to fill the research gap that 1) little was known about the visual demands associated with a driver engaging with in-vehicle voice interfaces; 2) the concurrent effect of interacting with in-vehicle voice interfaces and other commonly discussed individual-level factors has barely been targeted. This research work was a secondary data analysis based on a large-scale field experiment wherein 144 participants had been recruited and driven a test vehicle while performing a series of tasks using voice-based interfaces. Pre- and …

Topological Changes In The Functional Brain Networks Induced By Isometric Force Exertions Using A Graph Theoretical Approach: An Eeg-Based Neuroergonomics Study, Lina Ismail

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Neuroergonomics, the application of neuroscience to human factors and ergonomics, is an emerging science focusing on the human brain concerning performance at work and in everyday settings. The advent of portable neurophysiological methods, including electroencephalography (EEG), has enabled measurements of real-time brain activity during physical tasks without restricting body movements. However, the EEG signatures of different physical exertion activity levels that involve the musculoskeletal system in everyday settings remain poorly understood. Furthermore, the assessment of functional connectivity among different brain regions during different force exertion levels remains unclear. One approach to investigating the brain connectome is to model the underlying …

An Investigation Of Barriers And Facilitators To Living Kidney Donation, Rachel E. Crenshaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is strong interest in increasing living kidney donation, as the need for kidney transplants is quite high. Although previous studies outline some barriers and facilitators associated with donating, living kidney donation comprises only a small percentage of overall kidney transplants and thus further research on factors influencing the decision to donate is needed to find ways to increase the donor pool. Ten semi-structured interviews of living kidney donors were completed and analyzed for common themes that either support the current literature or surface additional barriers and facilitators. In addition, a systematic review and analysis of social medial support groups …

Examining The Empirical Relationship Between Subjective Fatigue And Employee Work Engagement In A Heavy Workload Manufacturing Environment, Prashanth Balasubramanian

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the empirical relationship between Subjective Fatigue and Employee work engagement among employees working under heavy workload conditions in Tennessee, USA. The questionnaire was developed by reviewing extant literature and the factors that were chosen were subjected to exploratory factor analysis. Post elimination of the weakly loaded factors, a questionnaire based on the selected factors was designed to measure the subjective levels of fatigue. The data was collected from two manufacturing company sites from East Tennessee and was subjected to analysis using IBM SPSS and SmartPLS softwares. As a part of the SEM …

Adaptive Task Allocation In Automated Vehicles, Skye Taylor, Bin Hu, Jing Chen

Psychology: Interdisciplinary Research in Behavioral Sciences of Transportation Issues

Adaptive task allocation is used in many human-machine systems and has been proven to improve operators’ monitoring and/or performance with automated systems. However, there is little knowledge surrounding the benefits of adaptive task allocation in automated vehicles. In this study, participants were presented with media depicting driving scenarios of both low and high workload at two levels of automation. The participants reported which tasks they felt comfortable allocating to themselves or to the automated system in each driving scenario, as well as whether they would conduct the task allocation manually or have the automated system automatically allocate the tasks. The …

Improving Drivers’ Behaviour When Partial Driving Automation Fails, Yalda Ebadi

Doctoral Dissertations

With the advent of automated vehicle systems, the role of drivers has changed to a more supervisory role. However, it is known that all vehicles with Level 2 (L2) systems have a very specific operational design domain (ODD) and can only function on limited conditions. Hence, it is important for drivers to perceive the situations properly and regain the control from the L2 system when needed. As suggested by past research, designing an informative interface could help drivers in their new supervision and intervention role while driving with L2 vehicles by providing feedback to drivers when hazards or event that …

Civilian Pepper Spray For Self Defense: Understanding User Perception And Impact Of Design On User Performance, David Strybel, Anil R. Kumar

Faculty Publications

Pepper spray is widely used in the US, and is marketed as an effective self-defense device. While pepper spray can be useful in deterring an attacker, many pepper spray owners do not have any experience using it. There is a dearth of published studies that focus on civilian pepper-spray use, not to mention first time pepper-spray users. A study to analyze pepper-spray designs with first-time users, to see how the design, specifically the safety mechanism, affects response time and overall performance would be helpful. The study was conducted in 2 parts – a survey to understand user perception, and a …

The Effect Of Aircraft Manufacturing Riveting Tools On Hand-Arm Vibrations And Muscle Fatigue, Lou Toua Vi

LSU Master's Theses

The overall objective of this research was to compare four types of rivet guns varying by manufacturer and piston material (Tungsten vs. Steel), two rivet gun handle positions (Horizontal and Vertical), and three bucking bars including two with similar dimensions bars made of tungsten and steel, and a Honsa new technology spring dampener and tungsten combined bucking bar based on their impact on hand-arm vibrations and the effect of these vibration levels on muscle fatigue. This objective was covered in three parts. The first part consisted of examining the impact of these factors on riveters’ vibration exposure and muscle fatigue, …

Effects Of Design Autonomy On The Flow Experience, Antonio F Coriano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most modern workplace settings are laden with operating procedures aimed at standardizing action in the name of efficiency. The cost of this standardization is the autonomy of the operator. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi stated the problem concisely in his 1975 work Beyond Boredom and Anxiety “… [M]ost of the institutions that take up our time…are organized around the assumption that serious work is grim and unpleasant. Because of this assumption, most of our time is spent doing unpleasant things”. An experiment was created to study and better understand how to redress this harmful situation. Sixteen subjects were given a SolidWorks computer-aided design …

Itw Deltar Model Factory, Bri Hollowell, Tyler Rogers, Jake Klingelsmith

Scholar Week 2016 - present

The project given to the design team was a request from ITW Deltar to improve their packaging system for some production machines in cell C. The primary goal of the project is to optimize the safety and workflow of the packaging systems in cell C. The safety of the packaging system will be determined using the REBA risk assessment number. The workflow improvement is determined through analysis of the packaging time and the walking distances of the workers.

The design team identified the functional requirements and design constraints that need to be met. These functional requirements include the packaging system …

Applications Of Image Processing Techniques And Spatial Data Analytics For Pressure Mapping Analysis, Joan Yamil Martinez

Dissertations

The technological advancements in sensors, monitoring systems, and tracking devices are changing how we study our environment; big data sets are becoming more and more prevalent due to the increase of information gathered with ease. One system benefiting from these technological improvements is pressure mapping technology, an easy-to-use and cost-effective solution for assessing contact pressure distributions.

Pressure mapping systems generally produce data sets of very large volume, especially when used for continuous tracking and monitoring, and are widely used for research in fields of ergonomics, sports, industries, and health disciplines. Pressure mapping systems are particularly important in the study of …

Evaluation Of Fitts’ Throughput As A Possible Performance Measure For Manual Assembly Tasks, Pradyumna Bettagere Jagadish

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Assembly lines are the backbone of the manufacturing sector. Workers at the assembly lines are expected to perform fast pace hand-arm exertions with precision and accuracy. To protect the workers from injuries, OSHA mandates the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) including gloves. Certain assembly operations require the use of special gloves. Some of these gloves can inhibit hand performance, further increasing the task difficulty. The Index of Difficulty (ID) is a metric measured in ‘bits’ quantifies task difficulty through the quotient of target width and target motion, i.e., distance travelled. The time required to complete the target motion is …

Assessment Of Heat Stress For Outdoor Work Conditions In Saudi Arabia, Jamal Alanazi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Outdoor workers have an increased risk of heat stress in Saudi Arabia since it is one of the hottest places in the Middle East. Recently, the government decided to limit outdoor work hours during the months of June, July, and August every year, and banned working under the direct sunlight from 12:00 to 03:00 p.m., although outdoor workers in the petroleum, natural gas, or emergency maintenance work industries are exempt from this prohibition. Traditionally, the efforts by safety and health professionals to mitigate work-related heat injury has been directed toward the assessment of environmental heat stress (e.g., wet-bulb globe temperature), …

A Study Of Impact Protection Of Metacarpal Gloves, Faisal Mohammed Alessa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Work-related wrist, hand, and finger injuries are highly prevalent in manufacturing and extractive industries. An analysis of mining-related hand injury data from over the past two decades (Alessa et al., 2020) showed that hand injuries caused by insufficient protection against impact loads (e.g. struck by accidents) were categorized with high severity. Existing literature lacks clear classification and quantification methods for the protection provided by impact-resistant gloves (i.e. metacarpal gloves). A new method to establish a quantitative measure of performance for commonly used metacarpal gloves was developed and evaluated.

In the first specific aim, an experimental study using cadaveric hand specimens …

Rinse Tank Salinity Automation, George Pahoundis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Manufacturing processes are often consisted of many different processes and sub-processes. Each of these carries its own level of importance and impact to the overall picture. In this particular sub-process, salt is rinsed from a product via a rinse tank: a tank whose salinity may not exceed a certain level and whose temperature must not fall below a certain level. This setting is a prime opportunity to implement an automated control system to allow these parameters to be met with upmost efficiency. With potential savings in excess of $20,000 per year and an estimated payback period of 8 weeks, the …

Implications Of Variability Of Electromyographic Measurements For Assessing Localized Muscle Fatigue, Hamad Nasser Alasim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) is enormous due to a combination of direct and indirect costs associated with healthcare, lost workdays and human suffering. Because of the established relationship between Localized Muscle Fatigue (LMF) development and WMSDs, and in order to reduce and/or prevent WMSDs in workplaces, different fatigue assessment methods have been developed. Surface Electromyography (SEMG) is a commonly used LMF assessment technique. The SEMG signals are typically analyzed in time and frequency domains to predict LMF based on a relative change with respect to initial, or under no-fatigue conditions. Quantifying such change, however, relies on the …