1,245 research outputs found
Ergonomic Models of Anthropometry, Human Biomechanics and Operator-Equipment Interfaces
The Committee on Human Factors was established in October 1980 by the Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education of the National Research Council. The committee is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation. The workshop discussed the following: anthropometric models; biomechanical models; human-machine interface models; and research recommendations. A 17-page bibliography is included
Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes
This bibliography lists 253 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in October 1975
The specification and evaluation of personalised footwear for additive manufacturing
The personalisation of footwear offers advantages not only for runners, but to anyone who wishes to become more active. Additive manufacturing (AM) technology has the potential for making footwear personalisation economically feasible by allowing direct manufacture from CAD models and its tool-less capability. This thesis aims to develop and explore the process of footwear personalisation using AM and evaluates such footwear in terms of discomfort and biomechanics.
To start to explore this process a repeated measures pilot study was conducted. Six recreational runners had anthropometric measurements of the foot taken and the plantar surface of both feet scanned. From the scans and measurements, personalised glove fit insoles were designed and manufactured using AM. Participants were then fitted with footwear under two experimental conditions (control and personalised), which were compared in terms of discomfort, performance and biomechanics. The findings of this pilot confirmed the feasibility of the personalisation process.
A longitudinal study was then conducted to evaluate the short and medium term use of personalised footwear in terms of discomfort and biomechanics. A matched pairs study design was utilised and 38 recreational runners (19 pairs) were recruited. Control (generic shape) and personalised geometry insoles were designed and manufactured using AM. The participants wore the footwear each time they went running for a 3-month period. They also completed an Activity Diary after each training session and attended 4 laboratory sessions during this period. The results showed significantly lower discomfort ratings in the heel area and for overall fit with the personalised insoles. However, discomfort was reported under the arch region for both conditions (supported by the Activity Diary), indicating that the foot scanning position and material may need modifying. With regard to the biomechanics, the personalised insoles also led to significantly lower maximum ankle eversion and lower peak mean pressure under the heel, which are potentially positive effects in terms of reducing injury risk. A case study is then reported which explored foot capture using a dynamic scanner for the design and manufacture of insoles using AM. Through the development of four insoles, it was found that the selection and manipulation of the scan data from the series of frames generated during ground contact were the most demanding elements of the process. Finally, recommendations and guidance are given for the footwear personalisation process (foot scan position, anthropometry, insole design and AM), together with its potential benefits and limitations
"Production Ergonomics
"Production ergonomics – the science and practice of designing industrial workplaces to optimize human well-being and system performance – is a complex challenge for a designer. Humans are a valuable and flexible resource in any system of creation, and as long as they stay healthy, alert and motivated, they perform well and also become more competent over time, which increases their value as a resource. However, if a system designer is not mindful or aware of the many threats to health and system performance that may emerge, the end result may include inefficiency, productivity losses, low working morale, injuries and sick-leave. To help budding system designers and production engineers tackle these design challenges holistically, this book offers a multi-faceted orientation in the prerequisites for healthy and effective human work. We will cover physical, cognitive and organizational aspects of ergonomics, and provide both the individual human perspective and that of groups and populations, ending up with a look at global challenges that require workplaces to become more socially and economically sustainable. This book is written to give you a warm welcome to the subject, and to provide a solid foundation for improving industrial workplaces to attract and retain healthy and productive staff in the long run.
Optimal Inertial Sensor Placement and Motion Detection for Epileptic Seizure Patient Monitoring
Use of inertial sensory systems to monitor and detect seizure episodes in patients suffering from epilepsy is investigated via numerical simulations and experiments. Numerical simulations employ a mathematical model that is able to predict human body dynamic responses during a typical epileptic seizure. An optimized inertial sensor placement procedure is developed to address achievement of highest possible sensing resolution in determining angular accelerations with minimal errors. In addition, a joint torque estimation procedure is formulated to assist in the future development of a possible detection scheme. Experimental motion data obtained from an epileptic seizure patient as well as a healthy subject via a cluster of inertial measurement sensors formed a basis for proposing a suitable detection scheme based on non-linear response analysis. In particular, preliminary experimental data analysis has shown that the proposed modified Poincaré Map based scheme can become an effective tool in detecting of seizure via inertial measurements
"Production Ergonomics
"Production ergonomics – the science and practice of designing industrial workplaces to optimize human well-being and system performance – is a complex challenge for a designer. Humans are a valuable and flexible resource in any system of creation, and as long as they stay healthy, alert and motivated, they perform well and also become more competent over time, which increases their value as a resource. However, if a system designer is not mindful or aware of the many threats to health and system performance that may emerge, the end result may include inefficiency, productivity losses, low working morale, injuries and sick-leave. To help budding system designers and production engineers tackle these design challenges holistically, this book offers a multi-faceted orientation in the prerequisites for healthy and effective human work. We will cover physical, cognitive and organizational aspects of ergonomics, and provide both the individual human perspective and that of groups and populations, ending up with a look at global challenges that require workplaces to become more socially and economically sustainable. This book is written to give you a warm welcome to the subject, and to provide a solid foundation for improving industrial workplaces to attract and retain healthy and productive staff in the long run.
Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 183
This bibliography lists 273 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in July 1978
Slip and Fall Risks: Pre-Slip Gait Contributions and Post-Slip Response Effects
This thesis describes analysis methods and results from slip-perturbed gait experiments. The risk for falls was related both to the conditions present at heel strike and to the nature of the response. Gait analysis was performed using the Human Movement and Balance Laboratory (HMBL) model, a fifteen segment, fourteen joint model of the human body that was developed as part of this thesis effort. Resulting kinematics and kinetics included three-dimensional angles describing relative segment rotations, segmental and whole-body centers-of-mass, and joint actuation torques for the entire body.The relationship between pre-slip gait characteristics and the magnitude of slips was explored for both younger and older adults. Slip severity, either hazardous or non-hazardous, was determined using a 1.0 m/s peak slip velocity threshold. Hazardous slips were associated with greater step lengths normalized by leg length, larger and more rapidly changing foot-floor angles at heel strike, and increased cadence across the two subject groups. These results suggest that gait characteristics play an important role in the severity of slips. Older adults were found to walk with shorter step lengths and with smaller and more slowly changing foot-floor angles at heel strike compared to younger subjects, suggesting that age effects also impact slip severity.The effects of slipping and trailing leg response on slip outcome (falls or recoveries) were explored. Slip severity was found to be the most significant parameter related to outcome. Response strategies were classified, based on trailing leg dynamics, as either minimal, foot-flat, mid-flight, or toe-down. Slipping and trailing leg hip and knee torques were determined using the HMBL model and timing and magnitude parameters from these torques were then identified. Relationships between these parameters, age group (younger/older), response strategy, and outcome were then explored. Age was not found to be significantly related to response strategy or outcome, nor was response strategy found to be related to outcome. Slipping leg knee torque timing and magnitude parameters were related to slip severity and to outcome for hazardous slips. These results suggest that slip responses, coupled with slip severity, determine fall or recovery outcomes
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