Ergonomics最新文献

Firefighting tasks are strenuous and injury-prone. This study developed a biomechanical dataset from 20 professional firefighters performing equipment carry, hose drag, body drag and stair climb, with and without gear, using motion capture and musculoskeletal simulations. Biomechanical loading and activity asymmetry were analysed. Gear effects were found to be task-dependent: trunk muscle activity increased across activities, hip joint reaction forces consistently rose and ankle torque increased only during body drag. In stair climb, ankle torque decreased with gear, while knee and hip torques increased, indicating greater reliance on proximal joints. Leg muscle activity rose bilaterally in all tasks except hose drag. Side-specific patterns also emerged: across all activities, the left knee consistently exhibited higher torques, while ankle and knee reaction forces were greater on the right. During dragging tasks, more power was generated from the left upper body. This dataset and analysis provide insights for ergonomics, training and injury prevention.

The accessibility of reliable travel information is a growing challenge in public transport as vehicles become increasingly automated and staff presence decreases. Transparent displays, integrated directly into windows, offer a novel way to present information in passengers' natural line of sight. This study reports on a real-world field evaluation (N = 69) of such a system in a regional train, focusing on three dimensions: utility of displayed content, usability in terms of ergonomics and readability and passenger experience including comfort and technology acceptance. Results show that bright backgrounds and snow reduced legibility, while dusk and night-time improved Reading Performance. Despite these challenges, participants valued the novelty and relevance of the content and Overall Passenger Comfort was not negatively affected. Visual Reading Comfort improved with higher contrast conditions. Recommendations include automated contrast adjustment and optimised display placement. The study provides real-world evidence to guide ergonomic design and user experience standards.

Practitioner summary: This study reveals that individuals' affinity for smart tools is linked to specific brain structures. These findings support the theory of Human-Technology Symbiosis and highlight how technology use is associated with brain anatomy, with implications for technology design and user training.

This study examined how three non-optimal driving states - mind-wandering, distraction, and fatigue - differentially affect driving behaviour and psychophysiological responses from an arousal-resource regulation perspective. Thirty-licenced drivers completed repeated simulated driving tasks, during which behavioural performance and physiological indicators were recorded. Distinct state-specific profiles emerged. Distraction was associated with elevated heart rate and pupil diameter, accompanied by frequent and unstable control adjustments, reflecting a high-arousal, high-load control mode. Fatigue was characterised by reduced heart rate and eyelid opening, prolonged response times, and diminished operational activity, indicating hypoarousal and inhibited control. Mind-wandering showed an intermediate pattern, with moderate physiological activation but unstable behavioural rhythms, suggesting reduced task engagement rather than extreme arousal modulation. These findings indicate that attentional disruptions impair driving stability through distinct arousal- and resource-related mechanisms. The integration of behavioural and physiological measures supports a multimodal approach to driver state assessment.

Understanding human adaptations under varying scenarios is a critical concern from the earliest stages of system design. This study develops within the context of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and examines human performance variability during simulated drone operations using the Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork (EAST) method. The analysis focuses on bird strike events that each of the five participating teams unexpectedly faced during simulated training scenarios. First, Work-As-Instructed (WAIn) EAST networks were constructed based on available Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to be trained. These were subsequently compared to Work-As-Trained (WAT) networks developed based on communication logs and transcribed audio recordings from training sessions. The comparative analysis reveals both adaptive behavioural observed tendencies and discrepancies in task-knowledge-agent couplings, visualised via a newly developed joint cognitive network variability matrix. The findings highlight the value of capturing trainee behaviours in terms of task, knowledge, and social interactions while using emerging technologies.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are common in surgery due to sustained non-neutral postures. This study evaluated two wearable vibrotactile feedback methods designed to encourage real-time postural correction: one based on standard Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) thresholds, and another enhanced with Exposure Variation Analysis (EVA) to account for cumulative posture risk. Thirty participants completed a simulated surgical fine motor task under three conditions: control, RULA-based feedback, and EVA-based feedback. EVA-based feedback reduced time spent in high-risk RULA 5-6 postures by 91.5%, compared to 68.5% with RULA-based feedback when normalised by task duration. EVA-based feedback also required fewer cues on average (4.63 ± 2.13 vs. 10.37 ± 13.92). Both feedback methods significantly reduced mean RULA Category scores without increasing task time or cognitive workload. These findings support EVA-based feedback as a low-disruption, real-time ergonomic intervention that improves posture while minimising alert burden in precision-intensive environments.

Practitioner summary: This study shows how DTs can enhance ergonomics in automotive assembly by moving from prevention to adaptive, personalised solutions. The four models identified help practitioners reduce musculoskeletal risks, support flexible task design, and advance human-robot collaboration towards safer, Industry 5.0-ready manufacturing.

Paramedics face a challenging work environment with a high risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). This study examined the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and its associations with self-reported individual, physical, and psychosocial risk factors among 334 paramedics in Quebec. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires and analysed using multiple logistic regressions. Results showed that 69% of participants reported musculoskeletal pain in the past 12 months, most commonly in the back, shoulders, and neck. Tasks involving hand movements above shoulder level and working with a twisted back were significantly associated with increased pain, particularly in the lower back. Psychosocial factors, such as low reward, were associated with neck pain.

This article concerns the importance of human values in designing and deploying sociotechnical systems. These values relate to what the system delivers versus what users expect regarding equality, democracy, or quality of work. We explore how the value system (ideology) influences stakeholders' decisions when designing the technical and social dimensions of a system in which they are involved. We focus on the thinking and reasoning processes involved in co-design situations. Through the case of a community system, we closely analyse the verbal interactions during a two-day meeting involving 9 to 12 participants. We illustrate how community ideology plays a central role in reconfiguring the system 'in action', highlighting the misunderstandings and conflicts that arise during the design process and the strategies employed by the participants to advance the project. The findings suggest that examining co-design activities can enhance our understanding of ideology's impact on system design.