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Novel Approaches and Applications in Ergonomic Design III

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 17354

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Heecheon You

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
Interests: ergonomics; innovative product development; digital human scan analysis; smart healthcare; VR/AR/MR; multimodal AI
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Proper interactions between humans and systems, including tasks, products, tools, workplaces, and environments, are crucial for better safety, usability, and productivity. In the fourth industrial revolution, new technologies such as artificial intelligence, VR/AR/MR, digital twin, cloud computing, Internet of Things, big data, digitalization, and wireless technologies have challenged ergonomists and human factor professionals to explore innovative design solutions and methodologies of human–system interactions for the synergistic fusion of the digital, biological, and/or physical worlds.

This Special Issue on “Novel Approaches and Applications in Ergonomic Design III” aims to provide a platform for sharing novel methodologies and applications that can be effectively utilized for the development of ergonomic designs of human–system interactions. The areas of ergonomic approaches and applications of the Special Issue include but are not limited to cognition, anthropometry, biomechanics, safety, macro-ergonomics, human–system integration, user-centered design, universal design, experience design, sustainable design, affective computing, autonomous systems, VR/AR/MR, aging, healthcare, neuro-ergonomics, musculoskeletal disorders, human–robot interaction, and exoskeletons.

Prof. Dr. Heecheon You
Guest Editor

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Keywords

cognition
anthropometry
biomechanics
safety, macro-ergonomics
human–system integration
user-centered design
universal design
experience design
sustainable design
affective computing
autonomous systems
artificial intelligence
machine learning
digital twin
VR/AR/MR
aging
healthcare
neuro-ergonomics
musculoskeletal disorders
human–robot interaction
exoskeleton

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2771 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel and Stable Benchmark for Breast Measurement

by Yulin Zhao, Chihua Wu, Dingbang Luh and Bingbing Feng

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(19), 8818; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14198818 - 30 Sep 2024

Viewed by 497

Abstract

Selecting an appropriate bra product has long been a challenge for adolescent girls, whose breasts are rapidly growing. This challenge arises due to the absence of a rational benchmark for breast measurement. Traditional benchmarks are based on ergonomic principles, using reference points located on the human skeleton. However, the breast lacks a bone structure for support, leading to highly variable measurement results. In this study, the jugular notch and the xiphoid process were selected as breast measurement points according to academic principles. Their accuracy, stability, and deviation were experimentally investigated through tactile assessment of adolescent girls at different stages of development. Based on the experimental results, a novel breast measurement coordinate system was established, and its accuracy was verified by conversion calculations using a geodetic coordinate system. The results indicated that the numerical calculation of the breast shape was more accurate using the newly established breast measurement coordinate system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches and Applications in Ergonomic Design III)

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21 pages, 4685 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating Spatiotemporal Effects of Back-Support Exoskeletons Using Unloaded Cyclic Trunk Flexion–Extension Task Paradigm

by Pranav Madhav Kuber and Ehsan Rashedi

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(13), 5564; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14135564 - 26 Jun 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1342

Abstract

Back-Support Industrial Exoskeletons (BSIEs) are designed to reduce muscle effort during repetitive tasks that involve trunk bending. We recruited twelve participants to perform 30 cycles of 45° trunk bending with/without the assistance of BSIEs and with/without postural asymmetry, first without any back fatigue, and then at the medium–high level of perceived back fatigue. To study the benefits of BSIEs, the effects of being in a fatigued state were assessed by comparing the muscle demands, kinematics, and stability measures during bending, retraction, and their transition portions per cycle across the study conditions. Overall, the BSIEs caused a minimal decrease in the lower-back activity (0–1.8%), caused by the increased demands during the retraction portion. A substantial decrease in leg activity was observed (10–18%). Asymmetry increased the right-lower-back and leg demands. Medium–high fatigue caused an increase in the lower-back activity (8–12%) during bending and retraction. The BSIEs caused slower movements and improved the stability by lowering the maximum distance of the Center of Pressure (COP) during the transition portion, as well as by lowering the mean velocity of the COP during the bending/retraction portions. This controlled study demonstrated the use of a cyclic trunk flexion–extension paradigm to study the effects of BSIEs, and the outcomes can help with understanding the temporal effects of using BSIEs on physiological measures, ultimately benefiting their proper implementation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches and Applications in Ergonomic Design III)

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16 pages, 1894 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Stakeholder Requirements for the Development of Swallowing Health Management Services

by Minjae Kim, Jinwon Kim, Yejin Lee, Hyanghee Kim, Sang-Eok Lee, Seong Hee Choi, Seok In Nam and Heecheon You

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(9), 3596; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14093596 - 24 Apr 2024

Viewed by 839

Abstract

An investigation of comprehensive service requirements and their importance across various stakeholders is needed to develop systematic swallowing healthcare services. The present study examined the service requirements and their importance in developing comprehensive swallowing healthcare services from diverse stakeholders, including healthy seniors, individuals at risk, patients, guardians, and medical professionals, within the context of dysphagia. A series of survey-based interviews with 35 participants from the 5 stakeholder groups identified a comprehensive array of requirements pertinent to swallowing healthcare. Subsequently, a larger survey of 125 participants was administered using a 7-point Likert scale to evaluate the perceived importance of the identified requirements. A total of 46 distinct requirements were identified across the prevention/screening, evaluation/diagnosis, and treatment/training stages of swallowing healthcare. Accessibility, customization, usability, practicality, and information availability were features commonly identified across the three stages. Evaluation of the importance of these requirements yielded ratings ranging from 5.0 to 6.6. Significantly higher ratings were found for requirements associated with the evaluation/diagnosis and treatment/training stages, underscoring the stakeholder groups’ pronounced preference for services directed at these specific stages of the healthcare continuum. The study offers insights into the multifaceted requirements of stakeholders in swallowing healthcare, emphasizing the necessity for personalized, easily accessible, and comprehensive services. These findings serve as a foundational framework on targeted interventions and tailored services designed to address the diverse requirements of stakeholders for swallowing healthcare. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches and Applications in Ergonomic Design III)

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21 pages, 5062 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Detecting Fatigue during Exoskeleton-Assisted Trunk Flexion Tasks: A Machine Learning Approach

by Pranav Madhav Kuber, Hrushikesh Godbole and Ehsan Rashedi

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(9), 3563; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14093563 - 23 Apr 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1424

Abstract

Back-Support Industrial Exoskeletons (BSIEs) can be beneficial in reducing the risk of injury due to overexertion during trunk flexion tasks. Most real-world tasks include complex body movements, leading to mixed outcomes that necessitate field-based methods for detecting overall physical demands. Monitoring fatigue can be beneficial in this regard to ensure that benefits of BSIEs are translated to the real world. Our experiment included 14 participants, who performed 30 repetitions of 45° trunk-flexion while assisted by a BSIE, first without fatigue and then at medium-high back fatigue (7/10 in the Borg scale). We extracted 135 features from recorded muscle activity, trunk motion, and whole-body stability across bending, transition, and retraction portions of each trunk-flexion cycle. Four classification algorithms, namely Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forest (RF), and XGBoost (XGB), were implemented to assess fatigue prediction. XGB (Accuracy: 86.1%, Recall: 86%, Specificity: 86.3%) was effective in classifying fatigue with data obtained from a single EMG sensor located on the lower back (erector spinae) muscle. Meanwhile, stability measures showed high predictability with both RF (92.9%, 91.9%, 94.1%) and XGB (93.5, 94.1%, 93.1%). Findings demonstrate the success of force plates, and when replaced by pressure insoles, they can facilitate real-world fatigue detection during BSIE-assisted trunk-flexion tasks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches and Applications in Ergonomic Design III)

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18 pages, 5122 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating the Relationship between Noise Exposure and Human Cognitive Performance: Attention, Stress, and Mental Workload Based on EEG Signals Using Power Spectrum Density

by Rahmaniyah Dwi Astuti, Bambang Suhardi, Pringgo Widyo Laksono and Novie Susanto

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 2699; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14072699 - 23 Mar 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3264

Abstract

A pervasive environmental stressor is one that damages mental and physical health as well as cognitive abilities by producing noise at a specific frequency and level. Current noise pollution levels pose a significant threat to public health, potentially leading to impaired cognitive function, increased stress, and other negative health consequences. This study aims to investigate the relationship between noise exposure and human cognitive abilities using a comprehensive analysis of power spectrum density (PSD) derived from EEG signals. Twenty-four participants completed the experiment to identify the effect of exposure to different noise levels (55 dB, 65 dB, 70 dB, 75 dB, 80 dB, and 85 dB) and two types of continuous and intermittent noise. The Stroop Color–Word Test and the Emotive Epoch EEG are cognitive task instruments used during experiments. Behavioral performance (accuracy and response time) and power spectrum electroencephalographic density were collected and analyzed. The methodology involved collecting EEG data from participants exposed to controlled noise stimuli and a subsequent PSD analysis to uncover frequency-specific patterns associated with cognitive processes. Attention levels were measured by examining beta wave activity, while stress responses were evaluated through an alpha wave analysis. Additionally, mental workload was assessed by considering the overall distribution of PSD through the theta-to-alpha ratio. The results revealed a significant relationship between the exposure to noise types and levels and human cognitive ability. The analysis of the power spectrum density on the cognitive aspects of attention and stress yielded results indicating that participants were in the best attention condition and in a relaxed or unstressed state when exposed to noise levels of 65 dB in both continuous and intermittent noise types. For the mental workload aspect, participants exposed to both continuous and intermittent noise types at a noise level of 70 dB began to indicate the presence of mental workload. These findings supported the importance of considering the impact of environmental noise on human cognitive well-being and demonstrated the potential of EEG monitoring as an objective tool for assessing the impact of noise on cognitive performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches and Applications in Ergonomic Design III)

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17 pages, 19229 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Co-Simulation Model Integrating a Musculoskeletal Human Model with Exoskeleton and Power Tool Model

by Carla Molz, David Scherb, Christopher Löffelmann, Johannes Sänger, Zhejun Yao, Andreas Lindenmann, Sven Matthiesen, Robert Weidner, Sandro Wartzack and Jörg Miehling

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(6), 2573; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14062573 - 19 Mar 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1887

Abstract

Working at and above head height with a power tool represents a common activity in craft and assembly applications. To assist and protect the user from overload and injuries in these situations, the development and use of application-specific support systems, such as exoskeletons and power tools, have greatly increased in recent years. Thus, the integration of aspects of the user-centered product development of support systems in the early phases of product development process has high potentials. A common approach to integrate the user early in the product development process is the use of musculoskeletal human models, which allow the evaluation of effects on the human body. This could also be applicable in the mentioned use case to enable the evaluation of the interactions for the user. Therefore, a co-simulation model for virtual modelling and simulating human–machine interactions is presented. The co-simulation model is made up of a musculoskeletal human model and the models of the technical systems (exoskeleton and power tool). By applying the co-simulation model, the impact of technical systems on the human body can be taken into account to derive design alternatives for the technical system due to the requirements of the user. The paper describes the design of the co-simulation model and particularly, the interaction of the submodels. The evaluation of the co-simulation model is carried out with the help of a subject study for the selected use case working at and above head height. The results show plausible results for the muscle loads considering the support by an exoskeleton. Furthermore, the comparison of simulated results to measured muscle activations via surface electromyography shows a good agreement. Thus, the co-simulation model passes the test for functionality and seems to be applicable for the derivation of design alternatives of technical systems regarding the user needs. In future, the co-simulation model will be further validated with a higher number of subjects and to implement design alterations in the technical systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches and Applications in Ergonomic Design III)

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15 pages, 10301 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effectiveness of Swiveling Seats in Protecting Reclined Occupants in Highly Autonomous Driving Environments during Frontal Crashes

by Fang Tong, Yuchao Wang, Qifei Jian, Fengchong Lan and Jiqing Chen

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 349; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14010349 - 29 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1299

Abstract

High-tilt reclined seats are one of the most popular configurations in highly automated vehicles; however, current restraint systems cannot protect out-of-position occupants in this type of seat. To reduce the risk of injury to reclined occupants, this study proposes a swiveling seat driven by occupant inertia and rotated in the sagittal plane during impact. The effectiveness of the swiveling seat was evaluated based on kinematics and injury to a human biomechanical model in a frontal sled test. A simulation matrix was constructed to design and optimize various safety devices, including the belt, pre-tensioner, knee constraint, and rotation stiffness for the swiveling seat. The results showed that (1) submarining occurred when the reclined occupant was on a fixed seat with a normal three-point belt during impact; (2) a fixed seat with a dynamic locking tongue and passenger lap pretension prevented the submarining, but produced a high lumbar force of 5359 N, which was higher than the spine injury criterion; and (3) the proposed swiveling seat with a matched restraint system could prevent submarining and produce lumbar force of 1787 N. The results demonstrated that the swiveling seat has high potential for occupant protection in intelligent driving scenarios. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches and Applications in Ergonomic Design III)

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28 pages, 2188 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occupational Exoskeletons: Understanding the Impact on Workers and Suggesting Guidelines for Practitioners and Future Research Needs

by Lucia Botti and Riccardo Melloni

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14010084 - 21 Dec 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2835

Abstract

This paper examines occupational exoskeletons and their effects on workers. The study includes a thorough evaluation of the current literature on occupational exoskeletons, with an emphasis on the impact of these devices on workers’ health and the safety, performance and users’ subjective perceptions. The aim of the study was to gain knowledge of how exoskeletons affect the workers and to identify practical suggestions for practitioners. The findings of the study suggest that exoskeletons can have both positive and negative effects on workers. Some users claimed enhanced comfort and decreased fatigue, whilst others reported discomfort and suffering. The study highlights the importance of considering the individual needs and preferences of workers when selecting and implementing exoskeletons in the workplace, with a focus on health, safety, performance and user acceptance. Based on the findings, the paper presents suggestions for employers and practitioners to ensure the effective and safe use of exoskeletons in occupational settings. These recommendations cover areas such as the assessment of workplace requirements, the selection and fit of exoskeletons, the optimization of design and ergonomics and the evaluation of performance. The paper concludes by highlighting the need for further research in this area, particularly in the areas of long-term use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches and Applications in Ergonomic Design III)

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Review

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15 pages, 5110 KiB

Open AccessReview

Ergonomic Sports Mouthguards: A Narrative Literature Review and Future Perspectives

by Talita Suelen De Queiroz, Beatriz Serralheiro da Cruz, Amir Mohidin Mohamed Demachkia, Alexandre Luiz Souto Borges, João Paulo Mendes Tribst and Tarcisio José de Arruda Paes Junior

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(20), 11353; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132011353 - 16 Oct 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2670

Abstract

Sports activities can increase participants’ risk of orofacial trauma. Therefore, it is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of various types of sports mouthguards. This study aims to present a narrative literature review on ergonomic mouthguards, including their indications for use, classifications, materials, manufacturing methods, and the current status of additive manufacturing in their production. Research of the existing literature was performed in the Google Scholar, MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect databases to identify the currently available publications on the topic of sports mouthguards from January 1951 to August 2023. The terms used were “sports mouthguard”, “mouthguards and orofacial traumas”, and “mouthguards and additive manufacturing”. A total of 920 articles were found, and 39 articles were selected and included in this review. While consensus exists regarding the significance of using sports mouthguards with optimal attributes, there is a need for standardization in the methodology for manufacturing custom-made mouthguards. These can be fashioned with conventional ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer reinforcements. Such standardization would ensure uniform stress distribution and guarantee ample protection for oral tissues, allowing for universal reproducibility among dental practitioners. Additive manufacturing stands as an innovative method for fabricating mouthguards, displaying promising benefits. However, the materials and methodologies employed in this workflow still require refinement and characterization for a safe clinical integration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches and Applications in Ergonomic Design III)

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