International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics最新文献

This study investigated the effects of different driving durations on the distribution of seat interface pressure and the perceived comfort of vehicle occupants. The comfort of vehicle occupants was assessed using the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) scoring table, while pressure mats were employed to analyze pressure distribution during driving. The subjective and objective data underwent statistical analysis through repeated measures one-way ANOVA and Tukey's Honestly Significantly Different (HSD) test. Additionally, the mapping relationship between pressure variables and subjective comfort was investigated. The results indicated that the duration of driving had a significant impact on upper back contact pressure, left buttock contact force, lower back contact force, upper back contact area, and lower back contact area. The majority of pressure variables exhibited significant correlations with overall comfort, particularly in the area of lower back contact. Practical measures for enhancing long-term driving comfort were suggested based on the results of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the linear model. In addition, the developed nonlinear model successfully captures the driver's comprehensive comfort ratings, with an R2 value of 0.605. Our study revealed the patterns of subjective comfort and objective pressure distribution during the driving process, providing a reliable approach for evaluating seat comfort. Automotive seat development companies and designers can utilize these findings to enhance seat design and maintain comfort during prolonged periods of sitting. In summary, this study contributes to the development of the automotive seat comfort design industry.

Healthcare professionals are exposed to multiple physical risk factors related to the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD), which significantly affect their quality of life. Several ergonomic methods have been developed for identifying risk factors in the workplace. Among these, wearable devices that perform direct measurements have demonstrated outstanding potential in recent years to provide reliable, non-invasive, and continuous exposure assessment. Therefore, this systematic review aims to describe the use of wearable technology for the ergonomic risk assessment of healthcare professionals. Twenty-nine publications were selected following PRISMA guidelines based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria set. Most of the articles were published in the last three years, confirming a growing trend in the research on this topic. Most wearable devices, which were used isolated or combined, consist of inertial sensors used to measure and assess the exposure to awkward postures and sEMG sensors, which provide the measurement of muscle activity parameters related to the force applied while performing work activities. The main results and respective analyses provided insights into the strengths and limitations of using wearable technology to acquire data on several work activities performed by healthcare professionals. Future research is needed to widen and validate the applicability of wearable technology in support of ergonomic interventions aimed at preventing the development of WRMSD among healthcare professionals.

Despite the advancements in autonomous vehicles (AVs) and their potential benefits, widespread acceptance of AVs remains low due to the significant barrier of trust. While prior research has explored various factors influencing trust towards AVs, the role of explainability—AVs’ ability to describe the rationale behind their outputs in human-understandable terms—has been largely overlooked. This study aimed to investigate how the perceived explainability of AVs impacts driver perception, trust, and the acceptance of AVs. For this end, an enhanced AV acceptance model that incorporates novel features such as perceived explainability and perceived intelligence was proposed. In order to validate the proposed model, a survey was conducted in which participants were exposed to different AV introductions (basic introduction, video introduction, or introduction with how + why explanations). The responses of 399 participants were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that perceived explainability had the most profound impact on trust, exerting both direct and indirect effects. AVs perceived as more explainable were also considered easier to use, more useful, safer, and more intelligent, which in turn fostered trust and acceptance. Additionally, the impact of perceived intelligence on trust was significant, indicating that drivers view AVs as intelligent agents rather than mere passive tools. While traditional factors such as perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness remained significant predictors of trust, their effects were smaller than perceived explainability and perceived intelligence. These findings underscore the importance of considering the role of explainability in AV design to address the trust-related challenges associated with AV adoption.

With the advancement of technology, color electronic paper displays have become the mainstream market in recent years. Thirty participants were recruited in this study to investigate the effect of color type (color, grayscale) and ambient illumination (200 lx, 750 lx, and 1500 lx) on legibility (search time, accuracy) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) for different reading contents (charts, texts, and charts with texts [comics]). The results indicated that color type was significant on search time for charts and texts, significant on accuracy for texts and comics, and significant on PANAS for the three reading contents, while color displays performed better than grayscale displays. In addition, ambient illumination was significant on search time and PANAS for the three reading contents, and significant on accuracy for texts. The results showed that, at 200 lx, color charts and comics were recommended for reading. The results indicated that more than 750 lx was suitable for people to read charts. On the other hand, 1500 lx provided better legibility and a positive affect for people to read texts and comics. The results of this study could serve as a reference for the necessity of color electronic displays and the recommendation of suitable ambient illuminations with different reading contents.

This study assessed sex differences in natural squatting postures in public squatting toilets by collecting data on the span between feet (SBF), the angle between the feet, and the overall stability index (OSI). Sixty participants were recruited, and 24 experimental squatting toilets were simulated by comparing the inner shape, frame, antiskid design, and size of the most comfortable squatting posture for each toilet, plus the subjective comfort evaluation. The results showed a significant sex difference in squatting toilets. The comfortable outward angle between the feet was 40.56° and 28.99° in men and women, respectively. The inner shape only impacted the SBF, while irregular frames resulted in a higher OSI than square frames. In terms of subjective perception, O-shaped internal structures and square frames were the most popular. The SBF of the natural squatting positions of men and women can provide a reference for the design of an optimal squatting toilet.

Scientific and rational visual training is an important way to avoid visual problems in the elderly. Current visual ability training suffers from a small range of users and low participation, and few studies have focused on the motivation of older users to participate in training and whether there are differences in motivation between older users and users of other age groups. This study investigated the factors influencing the willingness to use visual ability training applications in terms of both user motivation and behavioral ability and constructed a hypothesis model based on ARCS motivation theory and the Fogg Behavior model (FBM). To see if there were differences in influencing factors among users from different backgrounds, four moderating variables were introduced: age, gender, education level, and self-assessment of visual ability. All the design strategies involved are then presented in a storyboard format. 192 participants viewed the storyboard and completed the corresponding questionnaire on their willingness to use visual ability training. The findings show that attention has a significant positive effect on satisfaction and an indirect positive effect on the willingness to use. Satisfaction and behavioral competence had a significant positive effect on willingness to use. Age, gender, education level, and self-rated visual ability had moderating effects in the influence factor model. This study can provide a reference for the design of visual training applications for the elderly to enhance users' willingness to use them.

The study explores the effects of display technique, target size, and complexity of the background on searching accuracy, eye tracking performance, visual fatigue, and presence. Twenty-five participants were recruited in the experiment, where two types of display technique (2D, 3D), two types of background complexity (low, high), and two types of target size (200 × 200 pixels, 60 × 60 pixels) were examined on accuracy, fixation time, numbers of fixations, Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), and iGroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ). The results indicated that display technique was significant on accuracy, fixation time, number of fixations, and SSQ. Though having inferior performance in accuracy and SSQ than 2D, 3D demonstrated better performance in the number of fixations and fixation time. Background complexity was significant on accuracy and IPQ, while low complexity has a better performance than that in accuracy and IPQ. Target size was significant in accuracy, where the accuracy of 200 × 200 pixels was better than that of 60 × 60 pixels. From the analysis of area of interest (AOI), participants tended to fix on revised pictures as compared with original pictures. The results of this study could serve as a reference for game manufacturers to design a 3D “Spot The Difference” game in the future.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have a complex aetiology. How to lift training (HTLT) does not address this complexity, is an ineffective prevention strategy but remains widely utilised. This study explores the extent to which HTLT is utilised and the beliefs of employers and work health and safety (WHS) providers to this approach as an MSD prevention strategy.

Method

An online questionnaire was distributed to employers and WHS providers to collect quantitative and qualitative information on the extent to which HTLT was being used and the beliefs about its use in MSD prevention.

Results

A total of 1507 responses were analysed (1271 employers, 236 WHS providers). Over 70% of participants had used HTLT in an MSD prevention program in the past 2 years. For employers the belief that HTLT is necessary under WHS legislation (OR 1.755, CI 1.135,2.712) was associated with the use of HTLT. For providers, the belief that HTLT is necessary for MSD prevention programs (OR 1.57 CI 1.10, 2.25) or if the service was requested (OR 3.88 CI 1.78,8.45) were associated with HTLT delivery.

Conclusions

HTLT remains highly prevalent in MSD prevention despite strong evidence that lifting training is ineffective and does not address WHS legislative requirements. Strategies to reduce HTLT use industry and utilise more effective MSD risk management controls will need to bridge the research evidence to practice gap and use implementation science principles to improve the uptake of evidence-based interventions which take a comprehensive systems-based approach to MSD prevention.

A laboratory experiment evaluated local muscle fatigue development in the neck extensor muscles during prolonged smartphone use in sitting. Twenty young adults conducted a smartphone task for 45 min in supported sitting, with the mean head tilt angle of 30.4°–34.6° from neutral upright. The mean amplitude and median power frequency of the electromyography (EMG) signals of the cervical erector spinae muscles were quantified during the smartphone task and in intermittent sub-maximal isometric neck extension trials. Data showed an increasing and decreasing trend of the mean amplitude and the median power frequency over time, respectively. Still, the statistical significance of the time effect was not found consistently. The median power frequency of the right neck extensor muscle differed significantly (p < 0.05) between the trials but did not indicate fatigue development. Study results suggest that smartphone use in common supported sitting for 45 min, although subjective rated neck discomfort increased significantly, did not produce significant fatigue in the superficial neck extensors. Investigation into the mechanism of neck discomfort due to intensive smartphone use would require a comprehensive evaluation of time-dependent changes in the passive tissues and synergistic activation of deeper cervical spine muscles.

Color has considerable effects on physiological and psychological perception during human-machine interaction. However, previous studies either compared whole sets of color schemes or only looked at single colors. This paper quantitively explored the physio-psychological underpinnings of the perceptual overload problem brought on by excessive color quantity involving expanding variety of colors and chromatic areas. Further, we applied the Gestalt Similarity law to determine if color grouping could improve visual perception. Twenty-two participants viewed color stimuli with their brain activity, subjective emotional experience, and visual discomfort being measured, reflecting three aspects of visual perception. The time-frequency analysis on electroencephalographic (EEG) revealed that increasing color quantity caused a boosted activation of delta, theta, and gamma bands in the parietal and occipital lobes, consistent with higher subjective emotional arousal. Color Gestalt substantially decreased the intensity of visual cortex activity and emotional arousal while enhancing visual comfort. The present Similarity grouping method, in that colors are different in saturation and brightness but identical in hue, broadened the grouping criteria in previous Gestalt research that employed identical colors.