Ergonomics Commons^™

Kinematic Analysis Of Forehand Drop Shot And Long Shot Services In Table Tennis, Ibrahim Norzuria

Student Works (2020-2029)

Table tennis is one of the most widely played sports in the world. A frequent hand movement is compulsory to execute stroke than other limbs, especially the projection of racket and ball speeds,which can help to improve players’ performance. Until now, research on table tennis serving is limited. Service was assumed important in table tennis because the effective serve may allow the serving player to have advantage and control over the game. The 3D dynamic analysis is the appropriate method to analyze a sport activity such as table tennis. Therefore, the aim of research was to determine the kinematic involved …

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

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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 …

Effet De L’Expertise Et Du Sexe Sur Les Contraintes À L’Épaule En Manutention, Etienne Goubault, Romain Martinez, Najoua Assila, Jennifer Dowling-Medley, Élodie Monga-Dubreuil, Sophie-Anne Scherrer, André Plamondon, Mickaël Begon

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L’atteinte de troubles musculosquelettiques (TMS) parmi les travailleurs et travailleuses au Québec était récemment estimée à 732 000 cas (Stock et al., 2014). Ces TMS sont associés aux activités professionnelles impliquant des efforts physiques prolongés, intenses et/ou répétitifs, telles que des tâches d’assemblage, de manutention, d’aide à la personne ou encore de maintien de posture prolongée sur un poste de travail. Les membres supérieurs, qui représentaient 30,1 % des cas de TMS déclarés et acceptés au Québec de 1998 à 2007 (Michel et al., 2010), sont les plus touchés après le dos. Plus particulièrement, l’épaule figure comme l’articulation …

Human Powered Vehicle Internal Systems Design, Zachary Broadbent, Jordan Boos, Patrick Gaertner, Caleb Miner

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objective of this design project is to redesign the seat and steering system for the Human Powered Vehicle Team. The goal of the seat design is too improve ergonomics by making it more comfortable and adjustable. In making the seat adjustable, it will be easier for drivers to achieve an optimal efficiency when pedaling. The aim for steering will be to improve the ergonomics as well as performance by analyzing steering systems in the past and evaluating how each design was successful and for what reason. Another main goal of the steering system will be improving the stability and …

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 (ETD)

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 …

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

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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), …

Analysis Of Factors Influencing The Stationarity Of Surface Electromyography Signals Measured In Non-Fatigued Shoulder Muscles, Hui Ci

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A reduction in the % stationarity of surface electromyography (SEMG) signals with respect to the initial or fresh condition is used to predict localized muscle fatigue. However, factors other than muscle fatigue can also influence the stationarity of SEMG signals. This study was aimed at analyzing the effect of various work/task related factors on the stationarity of SEMG signals obtained from non-fatigued shoulder muscles. Twelve participants were recruited for data collection and each one performed 120 trials characterized by the combination of 2 shoulder angles (60° and 120°), 2 planes of exertions (sagittal and scapular), 3 force levels (0lb, 2.5lb, …

Evaluation Of Control Strategies For Overhead Work Using Electromyography Of Rotator Cuff Muscles, Hossein Motabar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of shoulder have a significant impact on overall health and economics in the industrialized nations. Rotator cuff is the most frequently injured region in the shoulder complex. Overhead work is considered as one of the most predominant causes of rotator cuff injuries. The workers in construction, automotive, and aerospace industries are routinely exposed to overhead exertions. Elimination of overhead work is nearly impossible due to various task and technology constraints. Therefore, appropriate intervention strategies based on the engineering and administrative controls opt to be used to prevent the hazardous impact of overhead exertions. The objective of …

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

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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 …

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.

Assessing The Repeatability Of Clinical Tests In People With And Without Flexion-Induced Neck Pain, Ashton Human

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The accessibility of mobile technology has improved productivity but can contribute to musculoskeletal disorders due to the posture associated with using such devices. Neck flexion, a posture assumed by smartphone users, has been shown as a risk factor for the development of clinical neck pain if sustained for prolonged periods. Determining the individuals who are naturally more predisposed to develop flexion-induced neck pain can aid in the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this thesis is to assess the repeatability of clinical tests between trials over the course of two days in young adults who do and …

The Business Case For Industrial Safety: Revealing The Comprehensive Value Of Ergonomic Investments For Manufacturing Enterprises In Industry 4.0, Shane Stan

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

How can today’s manufacturing enterprises construct, implement, and optimize modern safety initiatives in a manner that will present maximum return on investment and facilitate enterprise growth? Furthermore, how can these manufacturers assure individual ergonomic investments become part of a larger strategy to facilitate organizational change in safety? This work addresses these questions by placing industrial ergonomics in a business improvement context which comprehensively presents the financial returns and growth opportunities poised by modern safety initiatives. Additionally, to further strengthen the business case for industrial safety, an ergonomic action planning framework is established to guide the creation of holistic safety programs …

Human Powered Vehicle Trainer, Nicholas Hung Nguyen, Gregory Reece Bridges, Jacinta Garcia, Mitchell Sidney Smith

Mechanical Engineering

This Final Design Review (FDR) document describes the final design and completed prototype of a Mechanical Engineering senior project team at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The project goal is to create an adjustable human powered vehicle training bike for George Leone that allows a rider to gain confidence with the unique reclined bike geometry ahead of the World Human Powered Speed Challenge at Battle Mountain, Nevada. This document outlines the customer’s needs and technical research performed which together determine the project’s scope and engineering specifications. Next, we present the initial idea generation process and its results, along …

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, …

Étude Exploratoire Sur Les Pratiques Des Fabricants De Machines Au Québec En Lien Avec L’Intégration De La Sécurité Des Machines Dès Leur Conception, Yuvin Chinniah, François Gauthier, George Abdul-Nour, Sabrina Jocelyn, Barthélemy Aucourt, Guy Bordeleau

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Le présent rapport est destiné principalement à tout organisme québécois œuvrant en matière de prévention des lésions professionnelles (ex. : la Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), les associations sectorielles paritaires (ASP)), pour un ou plusieurs secteurs industriels donnés. Il porte sur une étude exploratoire concernant l’intégration de la sécurité dès la conception des machines et qui a été réalisée auprès de fabricants. Ce rapport intéressera également les concepteurs et fabricants désireux de se renseigner sur la manière dont la sécurité est prise en compte dans la mise en œuvre de …

Can Fitts' Throughput Be A Predictor Of Muscle Fatigue – A Study Based On Metacarpal Gloves?, Sachin Sah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this study, Fitts’ throughput was used to estimate throughput for metacarpal gloves. Fitts’ throughput combines speed and accuracy during target transfer/movement tasks into a single performance index. It was hypothesized that the throughput will be affected by the glove condition and it will exhibit a relationship with the physiological response of hand muscles and perceived exertions. Fifteen healthy participants (10 males, 5 females) were recruited for data collection. Each participant performed a series of target transfer tasks using four glove conditions: (1) a pigskin leather (glove 1); (2) a synthetic fiber glove (glove 2); (3) a goat-grain leather glove …

Development Of A Task Analysis Tool To Estimate Shoulder Strain During A Lifting Task, Christopher Wayne Moore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Musculoskeletal disorders of the shoulder have a huge impact on the workplace and employees. Due to the complexity and high mobility of the shoulder, developing a task analysis tool with a focus on the shoulder is difficult, and while there are some ergonomic analysis tools that do consider the shoulder to varying degrees in the analysis, none focus purely on the shoulder. Therefore, this research was undertaken in an attempt to develop a shoulder-based task analysis tool for the shoulder. However, since the scope of work involving the shoulder is so vast, the tool in this research focuses on unobstructed, …

Smart Disease Prevention App: Informing The Public In Their Own Geographic Location, Apoorva Sulakhe, Shafali Rana, Zoe Disori, William Nogay, Kyle Plummer, Meredith Shannon, Morgan Young, Alyssa Zielinski, Vincent G. Duffy

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Apoorva Sulakhe and Shefali Rana are graduate students in the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue. They have both been teaching assistants under their coauthor, Dr. Vincent Duffy, while supervising multiple projects. Coauthors Zoe Disori, William Nogay, Kyle Plummer, Meredith Shannon, Morgan Young, and Alyssa Zielinski are listed in alphabetical order. They were all seniors in School of Industrial Engineering at the time of this project in 2017. The purpose of their study, described in this article, was to develop an application to provide users with accurate information about diseases spreading in their geographic locations.

Identifying Criteria To Predict Army Rifle Marksmanship Proficiency, Katlin Makina Anglin

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The United States Army requires each Soldier to develop marksmanship proficiency in an effort to achieve combat readiness. Soldiers currently develop marksmanship proficiency through Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) training, but significant skill deficiencies are apparent at the end of training. These skill deficiencies remain throughout training because instructors rarely assess Soldiers objectively before the final qualification, reducing the opportunity for instructors to diagnose skill deficiencies until it is too late. Therefore, the goal of the current research is to identify individual differences and sensor-based performance measures for inclusion in a formative assessment during BRM training. The results of the current …

Effects Of Lighting And Noise On Performance And Situation Awareness In An Air Traffic Control Task, Saralee Pruksaritanon, Andrew Dattel Ph.D., Steven Hampton Ed.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Work environment influences an individual’s performance and situation awareness (SA). This study aims to investigate the effects of lighting and noise levels on performance and situation awareness in an air traffic control (ATC) task. These two variables are important in the domain of ATC because the task requires an individual to receive and process information both visually and auditorily. The results are useful for designing air traffic control rooms, which are set differently among different air navigation service providers. The subjects are 16 students majoring in Air Traffic Management (ATM) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) – Daytona Beach, FL. The …

Developing An Ergonomic Model And Automation Justification For Industrial Spraying Operations: A Case Study, Anthony Woods

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Industrial spraying tasks prove to be some of the most dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs in the modern day. Although it is a ripe area for automation, justification methods do not typically account for the potential improvements in the ergonomics of a task from automating it. In addition, there is a gap in the ergonomics literature in formal methodologies to comprehensively evaluate an industrial spraying task ergonomically, including all relevant musculoskeletal elements. This research focuses on first developing a formal, comprehensive methodology for ergonomically evaluating industrial spraying tasks and attaining a final classification of the ergonomic ranking of the task. …

Ranking Of Human Senses In Relation To Different In-Flight Activities Contributing To The Comfort Experience Of Airplane Passengers, Joyce Bouwens, Suzanne Hiemstra-Van Mastrigt, Peter Vink

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Bubb, Bengler, Grünen, and Vollrath (2015) identified six environmental comfort factors and ordered them from most important to least important (smell, light, vibrations, sound, climate and anthropometry). This paper attempts to verify whether this suggested order of comfort-related factors also applies to the expectations of aircraft passengers. For this purpose, two studies were carried out. First, a survey was conducted among 183 aircraft passengers between 19 and 64 years old. In this survey, respondents were asked to rank six comfort factors by selecting the most important factor from 15 pairs of factors (e.g. light versus smell). The respondents indicated anthropometry …

Implementation Of 5s At A Survey Laboratory In Western Kentucky University, Mercy Akunna Ebuetse

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

5S is a technique used alongside methodologies such as lean, total quality management and six-sigma for continuous improvement and workplace standardization. Nonetheless, despite the upsurge in the implementation of 5S by lean manufacturing facilities and other industries, educational laboratories appear to be lagging. Taking into consideration the benefits of implementing 5S within industry, it has become crucial to replicate the technique in an educational laboratory to obtain equivalent results. To upgrade educational laboratories into industrial laboratories, 5S (sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain) is required to improve the laboratory’s ergonomics that subsequently increases efficiency, productivity, and lessens waste …

Assessment Of Ergonomics In Indian Dental Practice: A Workplace Analysis, Divya Gadde

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Dental practice requires unique working conditions such as prolonged working hours, strained body postures and laborious, high finesse dental techniques. However, it can be more efficiently performed by the application of ergonomics, rather than physically forcing the worker's body to fit the job. Posture is highly influenced by factors such as inadequate working level, incorrect patient positioning, and poor visual comfort. In order to eliminate musculoskeletal disorders it is necessary to control these and other factors, and design the human work environment to be more ergonomic. The aim of this study was to assess ergonomics within Indian dental practice and …

Repeatability Case Study Of The 3d Printer In The School Of Engineering And Applied Science Lab, Naif Faleh S. Albaiji

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

3DP (three-dimensional printing) technologies have become more than just a tool to help companies with prototyping and designing in the pre-production stage. Some firms have already implemented 3DP technology to produce parts and end-use products. However, there are several challenges and barriers that this technology must overcome to replace traditional manufacturing methods. One of the most significant obstacles associated with 3D printing is its low level of accuracy in variable repeatability when it comes to making separate batches of the same product. There are several arguable reasons behind this variation. Some of the factors that can influence repeatability are the …

Effect Of Anthropometric Variability On Middle-Market Aircraft Seating, Tara C. Sriram

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

A middle-of-market aircraft, or MoMA, is defined as an aircraft capable of flying 180-250 passengers without refueling for 2,300-5,800 miles(~2,000-5,000 nautical miles). As the name suggests, middle-of-market aircraft are positioned in between the market segments served by narrow body (single-aisle) and wide body (twin-aisle) aircraft. This paper presents the findings of a study on the effect of anthropomorphic variability on economy class seating on middle-market aircraft currently in service. The study found that among 130 middle-market LOPAs, the mean seat pitch was greater for US airlines than for Asian airlines. Furthermore, the sampled Asian airlines had a higher preference …

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 …

Unmanned Aerial Systems: Research, Development, Education & Training At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Michael P. Hickey

Publications

With technological breakthroughs in miniaturized aircraft-related components, including but not limited to communications, computer systems and sensors, state-of-the-art unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have become a reality. This fast-growing industry is anticipating and responding to a myriad of societal applications that will provide new and more cost-effective solutions that previous technologies could not, or will replace activities that involved humans in flight with associated risks.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has a long history of aviation-related research and education, and is heavily engaged in UAS activities. This document provides a summary of these activities, and is divided into two parts. The first part …