Ergonomics Commons^™

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 …

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 …

The Probability Of Success-Through Fault Tree Analytical Binomial Result, Tyleka Riddle

Night Flight Journal

Prestigious Appeal Rule of Thumb (Ear Drum Plugs)

In truant fashion, with proven accidental probabilistic perception for proposed cued facial expression recognition and voice commands without filtering. The estimated cost analysis for design and development generated from the enhanced project in the word "no”: Additionally, an audio noise effect size (ES) for desired level of comprehensive sensory receptors in sound reference to noisy party syndrome. Sytoss, (2019) "Resulting in a cocktail party theory for chalkboard distinction and conversation with applied facial recognition. As well as, the enhanced project management tool, EPMT, to provide output and input determination for higher-level acoustic …

Mazak Laser Optimization, Maylon Ellington, Terrilian E. Agbor Oji, William N. Palm

Senior Design Project For Engineers

Starflex Fabrication is a manufacturing company that thrives to provide custom, precision fabricated parts, and assemblies to their customers.The Mazak laser is Starflex Fabrication’s primary cutting machine and is critical to the overall process for each order. Team Flex will look to optimize the laser’s process and improve overall shop throughput.

A Design For Affordances Framework For Product Packaging: Food Packaging Case Study, Ahmad Abdelhafiz Mumani, Richard T. Stone, Esraa Abdelall

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Since affordances provided by packaging features play a major role in facilitating user packaging interaction, it is important to integrate the concept of affordances into the packaging design process and to understand the interrelationships between packaging features and affordances. A framework is proposed for linking user requirements to packaging design features utilizing the concept of affordances. The framework is accomplished in two main steps; first, determine the affordances required to facilitate performing packaging-related tasks, and second, link these affordances to packaging features. Previous packaging usability studies were reviewed to elicit requirements in terms of affordance properties such as intuitiveness, responsiveness, …

Improving Production Flexibility, Christopher T. Patrick, Conrad R. Troutman, Adam Glassman, Kaitlin Payne

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Industrial & Information Engineering

Over the last year, Clayton has paired with the University of Tennessee in order to increase production rates at their Rutledge facility due to a high demand for their homes. Other concerns expressed by Clayton included high employee turnover, fluctuation in demand throughout the year, and lack of space within the facility. Several teams from the University were assigned to this location with the goal of observing and increasing throughput and flexibility within the facility while considering the previously stated issues.

Smart Travel, Apoorva Sulakhe

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

The purpose of this poster is to further explore the idea of a “SMART” travel app. To design an app that is self-monitoring, that could analyze data and present the best travel options for customers in terms of available providers, price and time. Not only should the app be beneficial to customers but it should also be beneficial to providers. Through a series of analysis, questionnaires and eye tracking experiments our team was able to design an app that will provide customers with the information needed to make a well-informed decision on how to travel from point A to B, …

Communication Based Control For Dc Microgrids, Mahmoud S. Saleh, Yusef Esa, Ahmed Mohamed

Publications and Research

Centralized communication-based control is one of the main methods that can be implemented to achieve autonomous advanced energy management capabilities in DC microgrids. However, its major limitation is the fact that communication bandwidth and computation resources are limited in practical applications. This can be often improved by avoiding redundant communications and complex computations. In this paper, an autonomous communication-based hybrid state/event driven control scheme is proposed. This control scheme is hierarchical and heuristic, such that on the primary control level, it encompasses state-driven local controllers, and on the secondary control level, an event-driven MG centralized controller (MGCC) is used. This …

Design, Programming, And User-Experience, Kaila G. Manca

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis is a culmination of my individualized major in Human-Computer Interaction. As such, it showcases my knowledge of design, computer engineering, user-experience research, and puts into practice my background in psychology, com- munications, and neuroscience.

I provided full-service design and development for a web application to be used by the Digital Media and Design Department and their students.This process involved several iterations of user-experience research, testing, concepting, branding and strategy, ideation, and design. It lead to two products.

The first product is full-scale development and optimization of the web appli- cation.The web application adheres to best practices. It was …

2d Wireform Process Improvement, Katy Conlin, Carlo Ebora, Jordan Gamble

Mechanical Engineering

The body of this work has been created for Edwards Lifesciences in conjunction with senior project requirements. As such, the information produced and contained within is under a non‐disclosure agreement. As per request by sponsor, the body of the work will not be submitted to any outside parties, and the title page will serve as proof of completion.

A Decision Support Model For The Location Of Hand Sanitizer Dispensers In Hospitals, Laila Cure

Laila Cure

Compliance with hand hygiene practices is directly affected by the accessibility and availability of cleaning agents. Nevertheless, the decision of where to locate these dispensers is often not explicitly or fully addressed in the literature. In this paper, we study the problem of selecting the locations to install alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers throughout a hospital unit. We investigate the relevant criteria in selecting dispenser locations that promote compliance with hand hygiene practices, propose metrics for the evaluation of various location configurations, and formulate a dispenser location optimization model that incorporates such criteria. A complete methodology to collect data and obtain …

Ethnic Difference In Healthcare Delivery, Benny Mathew Varghese

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Quality in healthcare is a very important aspect; this is obtained when there is proper care provided to the patients without any discrimination. The healthcare system in the US can be improved in the fields of patient’s care, the amount of money spent and proper advice, if proper responsibilities are taken. Quality has been improving over the years, but the median by which there is an increase is too small. The other main factor is access to the healthcare system, which has over the year, has not progressed. Studies in healthcare quality should be conducted on a regular base, so …

Nurturing Systems Thinking: Developing A Framework Based On The Human Factors Analysis And Classification System (Hfacs) To Improve Systems Development Processes, Arjun Vijayanarayanan

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Large systems engineering projects have an astonishingly high failure rate. The reasons hypothesized for such a high failure rate include the neglect of nonsalient system elements such as social and human or organizational aspects of systems. Social and human factors have long been known to be critical elements of systems that are frequently ignored (e.g., Goguen, 1994). Systems engineering processes can benefit and be improved by effective utilization of a framework that helps developers expand their attention and efforts beyond the salient aspects of the system and the development process. In the aviation field, the Human Factors Analysis and Classification …

Hybrid Genetic Algorithm For Optimizing Environmental/Economic Power Dispatch, Dr. Adel A. Elbaset

Dr. Adel A. Elbaset

الملخص العربي من أهم القضايا التي تهم العاملين في مجال البيئه في هذه الاّونه هي قضيه تقليل الأنبعثات الملوثه من كافه المصادر. يقدم هذا البحث طريقه جديده لتغذيه الأحمال وتوزيعها بين وحدات التوليد الكهربائيه المختلفه بطريقه إقتصاديه أخذين في الأعتبار تقليل الأنبعاثات الملوثه الصادره من وحدات التوليد التي تعمل بالوقود الأحفوري. مسأله أخذ تأثير الأنبعاثات الملوثه وإقتصاديات التشغيل علي توزيع الأحمال عبارة عن مساله مثاليه غير خطيه متعددة القيود والأهداف تم تحويلها إلي داله ذات هدف واحد عن طريق معامل العقوبه (Penalty factor) . يقدم هذا البحث طريقه للحل تعتمد علي نموذج رياضي باستخدام طريقة الحساب الجيني المختلط (Hybrid Genetic …

Ergonomic Methods To Improve Safety In The Construction Sector And Reduce Costs, Mona Barjasteh

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Many small construction companies have difficulty providing a safe working environment for their employees because of their lack of resources. There is a need to provide a manual for small construction companies employing 10 or fewer workers with the best ergonomic solutions of the top most common injuries. Accidents in the construction field are very high with nearly 175,00o nonfatal injuries and 1,121 deaths in 2002. The nonfatal cases occur 7.1 times per 100 full time workers, while serious injuries occur 2.8 times per 100 full time workers. This information reveled the importance of focusing on minor injuries in order …

The Effect Of A Knee Support On The Biomechanical Response Of The Low Back, Yu Shu, Zongliang Jiang, Xu Xu, Gary A. Mirka

Gary A. Mirka

Stooping and squatting postures are seen in a number of industries (e.g., agriculture, construction) where workers must work near ground level for extended periods of time. The focus of the current research was to evaluate a knee support device designed to reduce the biomechanical loading of these postures. Ten participants performed a series of sudden loading tasks while in a semisquat posture under two conditions of knee support (no support and fully supported) and two conditions of torso flexion (45 and 60°). A weight was released into the hands of the participants who then came to steady state while maintaining …

An Adaptive System Identification Model Of The Biomechanical Response Of The Human Trunk During Sudden Loading, Brad M. Lawrence, Gregory D. Buckner, Gary A. Mirka

Gary A. Mirka

Sudden loading injuries to the low back are a concern. Current models are limited in their ability to quantify the time-varying nature of the sudden loading event. The method of approach used six males who were subjected to sudden loads. Response data (EMG and kinematics) were input into a system identification model to yield time-varying torso stiffness estimates. The results show estimates of system stiffness in good agreement with values in the literature. The average root mean square error of the model’s predictions of sagittal motion was equal to 0.1deg. In conclusion, system identification can be implemented with minimal error …

The Effect Of A Repetitive, Fatiguing Lifting Task On Horizontal Ground Reaction Forces, Yu Shu, Jonathan Drum, Stephanie Southard, Gwanseob Shin, Gary A. Mirka

Gary A. Mirka

There are many outdoor work environments that involve the combination of repetitive, fatiguing lifting tasks and less-than-optimal footing (muddy/slippery ground surfaces). The focus of the current research was to evaluate the effects of lifting-induced fatigue of the low back extensors on lifting kinematics and ground reaction forces. Ten participants performed a repetitive lifting task over a period of 8 minutes. As they performed this task, the ground reaction forces and whole body kinematics were captured using a force platform and magnetic motion tracking system, respectively. Fatigue was verified in this experiment by documenting a decrease in the median frequency of …

Eight Tractors In The 35-45 H.P. Class. Part 1, W F. Baillie, G. H. Vasey

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Summary report of tests on tractors in the 35-45 h.p. class by the Australian Tractor Testing Committee, based on Tractor Tests Nos. 38 to 45. Part 1