Human factors in design of passenger seats for commercial aircraft: A review

Seat comfort and safety research since the early part of the century is reviewed. The approach blends empirical and theoretical human factors and technical knowledge of seated humans under static and dynamic conditions experienced on commercial aircraft

Shuttle passenger couch

Conceptual design and fabrication of a full scale shuttle passenger couch engineering model are reported. The model was utilized to verify anthropometric dimensions, reach dimensions, ingress/egress, couch operation, storage space, restraint locations, and crew acceptability. These data were then incorported in the design of the passenger couch verification model that underwent performance tests

Concept design and alternate arrangements of orbiter mid-deck habitability features

The evaluations and recommendations for habitability features in the space shuttle orbiter mid-deck are summarized. The orbiter mission plans, the mid-deck dimensions and baseline arrangements along with crew compliments and typical activities were defined. Female and male anthropometric data based on zero-g operations were also defined. Evaluations of baseline and alternate feasible concepts provided several recommendations which are discussed

An investigation of pressure ulcer risk, comfort and pain in medical imaging

In this study, we investigated the interface pressure of healthy volunteers on medical imaging (MI) table surfaces to determine the risks of developing pressure ulcers (PU). We also investigated volunteers’ perception of pain and comfort while lying on the MI table surfaces. Evidence from this study will enhance the understanding of factors contributing to PU formation and help improve service delivery to patients undergoing MI procedures

The development of an elastic reverse gradient garment to be used as a countermeasure for cardiovascular deconditioning

Using a new Nomex-Lycra elastic fabric and individualized garment engineering techniques, reverse gradient garments (RGG's) were designed, constructed, and tested for effectiveness as a countermeasure against cardiovascular deconditioning. By combining torso-compensated positive pressure breathing with a distally diminishing gradient of counterpressure supplied by the elastic fabric on the limbs, the RGG acts to pool blood in the extremities of recumbent persons much as though they were standing erect in 1 g. It was theorized that through the use of a dynamic pressurization scheme, the RGG would stress the vasculature in a fashion similar to that experienced by the noramlly active man, hence preventing or limiting the development of post-weightlessness orthostatic intolerance and related conditions. Four male, college-age subjects received daily treatments with the RGG during a 15-day bedrest study. Four additional subjects also underwent the bedrest, but received no treatments; they served as controls. The design and construction of the garments are described, and results of the treatment related measurements are given

Interaction Design: Foundations, Experiments

Interaction Design: Foundations, Experiments is the result of a series of projects, experiments and curricula aimed at investigating the foundations of interaction design in particular and design research in general. The first part of the book - Foundations - deals with foundational theoretical issues in interaction design. An analysis of two categorical mistakes -the empirical and interactive fallacies- forms a background to a discussion of interaction design as act design and of computational technology as material in design. The second part of the book - Experiments - describes a range of design methods, programs and examples that have been used to probe foundational issues through systematic questioning of what is given. Based on experimental design work such as Slow Technology, Abstract Information Displays, Design for Sound Hiders, Zero Expression Fashion, and IT+Textiles, this section also explores how design experiments can play a central role when developing new design theory

The development of an elastic reverse gradient garment to be used as a countermeasure for cardiovascular deconditioning

Using a new nomex lycra elastic fabric and individualized garment engineering techniques, reverse gradient garments (RGG's) were designed, constructed, and tested for effectiveness as a countermeasure against cardiovascular deconditioning. By combining torso compensated positive pressure breathing with a distally diminishing gradient of counterpressure supplied by the elastic fabric on the limbs, the RGG acts to pool blood in the extremities of recumbent persons much as though they were standing erect in 1 g. The RGG stresses the vasculature in a fashion similar to that experienced by the normally active man, hence preventing or limiting the development of post weightlessness orthostatic intolerance and related conditions. Four male, college age subjects received daily treatments with the RGG during a 15 day bedrest study. Four additional subjects also underwent the bedrest, but received no treatments; they served as controls. The preliminary indication was that the RGG was somewhat effective in limiting the deconditioning process

Uusien virtuaalisen todellisuuden liikkumistapojen metsästys: Tuettu paikallaankävelemisjärjestelmä

This thesis explores novel, physically challenging, locomotion methods within virtual reality (VR). In this work, we develop, experiment and evaluate a prototype system capable of employing multiple playing poses. We designed four different movement approaches utilizing position/orientation trackers attached to user's limbs and waist. From these approaches, we decided to proceed further with two of the most promising ones. We conducted an user study (N=10) comparing these two approaches to receive more diverse feedback. The main themes revolving around the study were usability, simulator sickness and exercise. We decided to name the developed movement approaches according to the playing pose: Chair, Supine, Rings and Dip Rack. The two modes chosen for the user study were Chair and Supine. In the Chair mode the player sits on a swivel chair and imitates walking or running by swinging their legs in the air. In the Supine mode the player lies on the ground on their back and swings their legs in the air. Based on the user feedback, we can conclude that there exists potential within the experimented approaches. Due to the small size of our user study we are unable conclude any statistical relevance, but we believe that this work can provide valuable information for future VR locomotion methods, as well as exergames.Tämän diplomityön aihe on uudenlaiset virtuaalisen todellisuuden (eng. virtual reality, VR) liikkumistavat, jotka hyödyntävät fyysisesti vaativia asentoja ja liikkeitä. Tässä työssä kehitämme, testaamme ja arvioimme kehittämäämme prototyyppiä. Kehitimme neljä eri tapaa liikkua virtuaalisessa todellisuudessa hyväksikäyttäen pelaajan jalkoihin, käsiin ja vyötärölle kiinnitettyjä sijainti- ja asentojäljittimiä. Näistä neljästä lähestymistavasta, kahdesta ilmeni muita enemmän potentiaalia, joten otimme ne jatkokehitykseen. Suoritimme laadullisen käyttäjätutkimuksen (10 testaajaa) saadaksemme monimuotoisempaa palautetta prototyypistämme. Vertailimme käyttäjätesteissä kahta eri lähestymistapaamme seuraavien teemojen ympärillä: käytettävyys, virtuaalipahoinvointi ja liikunta. Kutsumme kehittämiämme liikkumistapoja pelaamisasennon mukaan: Tuoli, Selällään Makaaminen, Renkaat ja Dippiteline. Valitsemamme kaksi tapaa olivat Tuoli ja Selällään Makaaminen. Tuoli-pelitavassa pelaaja istuu toimistotuolilla ja imitoi kävelemistä tai juoksemista jalkojaan ilmassa heiluttaen. Selällään Makaamis -pelitavassa pelaaja makaa selällään patjalla ja heiluttaa jalkoja ilmassa. Käyttäjätestauksen palautteesta pystyimme päättelemään, että kehittämissämme liikkumistavoissa on potentiaalia. Pienen testaajamäärän vuoksi emme voi todeta tilastollista merkityksellisyyttä havainnoillamme, mutta pyrimme silti luomaan tällä työllä pohjaa tulevaisuuden virtuaalisen todellisuuden liikkumistavoille, sekä liikuntapeleille

Team Joseph: Adaptive Aquatic Device

The scope of this project included designing and fabricating an adaptive aquatic device for Joseph, a 20 year old student in the Special Education Program at San Luis Obispo High School with a subset of cerebral palsy known as spastic quadriplegia. The project was presented at the beginning of the Fall 2013 quarter to the mechanical engineering students at Cal Poly with the aspiration that a team of engineers would construct a device that would allow Joseph, his friends and family to compete in their first triathlon on July 27, 2014. The project was humbly accepted by mechanical engineering students Lilly Hoff and Paul Sands, as well as kinesiology student Andrea Voigt. The team designed a device for Joseph that emphasizes the least restrictive environment by orienting him in a prone position that immerses the majority of his body in the water, yet provides the necessary features to satisfy all safety concerns. A PVC frame is incorporated to provide stability in the water, attached to which are floats that provide buoyancy as well as a mesh material body support for him to lay on. Buoyancy and hydrodynamics are factored into the design by attaching a fiberglassed bow that extends forward from the front of the frame. Joseph will be pulled through the water by a swimmer wearing a swimming belt attached to the device. In conclusion, all of the customer requirements were satisfied by the design, and all testing performed validated the performance of the device. This report details the project specifications, design decisions, background research on both Joseph’s disability as well as similar existing products, the manufacturing process used to construct it, a full detailed description of the final design, and the testing procedures performed to ensure that the device is fully functional and safe