Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles) ISSN (Print) 1742-5549 - ISSN (Online) 1742-5557 Published by Inderscience Publishers[439 journals]
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Authors:Roger Bostelman, Ann Virts, Soocheol Yoon, Mili Shah, Ya-Shian Li-Baboud Pages: 171 - 203 Abstract: A repeatable evaluation of human-exoskeleton kinematics is needed to assess an exoskeleton's impact on worker biomechanics and safety. Standard measurement methods and metrics facilitate technology adoption and effective specification of the exoskeleton's intended use. This study assesses the feasibility and repeatability of a measurement method that enables synchronous tracking of human and exoskeleton kinematics using a set of lower-limb human motion capture test artefacts and exoskeleton motion capture plates. Experimental validation was conducted on 30 subjects. The inter-trial repeatability of the human knee joint angle was within 1.2° to 2.7° and within 1.3° to 3.1° for the exoskeleton joint angle (50th to 99th percentile). To apply the measurement of the test artefacts rigid body position and orientation, two potential metrics, human-exoskeleton fit and stability, were implemented based on the exoskeleton-human alignment offset and the stability of the exoskeleton frame. Keywords: motion capture repeatability; exoskeleton test methods; human motion; capture test artefacts; human-exoskeleton interaction; standard measurement artefacts; synchronous human-exoskeleton tracking; knee kinematics; human-exoskeleton fit; human- Citation: International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022) pp. 171 - 203 PubDate: 2022-07-21T23:20:50-05:00 DOI: 10.1504/IJHFMS.2022.124305 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022)
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Authors:Divyaksh Subhash Chander, Max Böhme, Michael Skipper Andersen, John Rasmussen, Johannes Zentner, Maria Pia Cavatorta Pages: 204 - 230 Abstract: There are several methods to simulate the human-exoskeleton interface but there is insufficient evidence regarding the choice of the method. This work compares two rigid-body methods to simulate the interface: 1) optimisation-based contact forces; 2) reaction forces at a point on the interface. Additionally, a method to kinetically align the human-exoskeleton joint axes is presented. A single subject tested an active lower limb exoskeleton in stair ascent. The biomechanical outputs were compared to a baseline model, where the measured assistive and ground reaction forces were applied directly to the human model. Both methods showed negligible differences in knee compression force, knee flexion moment, and vastus lateralis activation. However, the ankle outputs showed some differences between the methods. Computationally expensive contact forces provided six-axis interface forces unlike reaction forces, which were limited to the number of constraints required by the exoskeleton. Future studies could compare rigid-body and viscoelastic models. Keywords: human-exoskeleton interface; interaction force; joint misalignment; musculoskeletal model; contact model; contact force Citation: International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022) pp. 204 - 230 PubDate: 2022-07-21T23:20:50-05:00 DOI: 10.1504/IJHFMS.2022.124310 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022)
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Authors:Francisco Garcia Rivera, Dan Högberg, Maurice Lamb, Estela Perez Luque Pages: 231 - 246 Abstract: Recently, exoskeletons have been gaining popularity in many industries, primarily for supporting manual assembly tasks. Due to the relative novelty of exoskeleton technologies, knowledge about the consequences of using these devices at workstations is still developing. Digital human modelling (DHM) and ergonomic evaluation tools may be of particular use in this context. However, there are no standard integrations of DHM and ergonomic assessment tools for assessing exoskeletons. This paper proposes a general method for evaluating the ergonomic effects of introducing an exoskeleton in a production context using DHM simulation tools combined with a modified existing ergonomic assessment framework. More specifically, we propose adapting the Assembly Specific Force Atlas tool to evaluate exoskeletons by increasing the risk level threshold proportionally to the amount of torque that the exoskeleton reduces in the glenohumeral joint. We illustrate this adaptation in a DHM tool. We believe the proposed methodology and the corresponding workflow can be helpful for decision-makers and stakeholders when considering implementing exoskeletons in a production environment. Keywords: digital human modelling; DHM; assessment; ergonomics; exoskeleton; Assembly Specific Force Atlas; ASFA Citation: International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022) pp. 231 - 246 PubDate: 2022-07-21T23:20:50-05:00 DOI: 10.1504/IJHFMS.2022.124308 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022)
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Authors:Jing Qiu, Yilin Wang, Hong Cheng, Lu Wang, Xiao Yang Pages: 247 - 261 Abstract: A lower-limb exoskeleton (LLE) is a device intended to assist patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) with standing and walking in daily life. Due to the lack of proprioception in lower limbs, SCI patients wearing an LLE need the gait information feedforward from the human-exoskeleton system for walking safety. It is necessary, therefore, to explore how to improve the transparency of LLE systems to help the wearer get gait information from LLE. This study conducted several auditory prompt experiments to determine the most adaptive movement feedforward method to improve transparency for an exoskeleton called AIDER. The results indicated that auditory movement feedforward could remind wearers of the next motion state. Moreover, the subjects felt more secure with auditory movement feedforward than with no feedforward when wearing AIDER. Keywords: lower-limb exoskeleton; spinal cord injury; transparency; movement feedforward; auditory prompt; AIDER Citation: International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022) pp. 247 - 261 PubDate: 2022-07-21T23:20:50-05:00 DOI: 10.1504/IJHFMS.2022.124303 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022)
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Authors:Julia Riemer, Sascha Wischniewski Pages: 262 - 274 Abstract: The accurate fit of upper body exoskeletons is of importance for an efficient physical user support. However, there's a lack of multivariate data and adjustment ranges for proper upper body exoskeleton design. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide exoskeleton design-relevant body parameters of men and women as an input to suitable adjustment range for shoulder and back exoskeletons. We identified relevant body parameters for back and shoulder exoskeletons and calculated the upper and lower bounds for males and females by applying the archetypal analysis on a large anthropometric dataset from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Based on the archetypes, we identified minimum and maximum limits. These limits were checked for their accommodation level for the original as well as a weighted dataset, representing data for the whole of Germany. In addition, we compared the results of the limits with one dimensional percentile values. The results showed an accommodation for the identified multivariate limits between 87-94% for the different exoskeleton types and gender groups. Keywords: upper body; anthropometry; design dimensions; percentiles; archetypal analysis; ergonomic; data set; measures; minimum and maximum limits Citation: International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022) pp. 262 - 274 PubDate: 2022-07-21T23:20:50-05:00 DOI: 10.1504/IJHFMS.2022.124309 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022)
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Authors:Bo Eitel Seiferheld, Jeppe Frost, Mathias Krog, Sebastian Skals, Michael Skipper Andersen Pages: 275 - 300 Abstract: Passive upper-extremity exoskeletons may decrease the risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders. This study examined how shoulder muscle forces and biomechanical loads in the glenohumeral and L4-L5 joint changed as different support torque (1.1 Nm-11.2 Nm) and angle settings (60°-120°) of an exoskeleton were simulated during an overhead manual material handling task. Full-body kinematics of 15 grocery workers, who lifted a bread case (7.9 kg) onto shopping shelves (145.5 cm), were captured on site. The kinematic data were used to drive a detailed human-exoskeleton model based on inverse dynamics. Generally, simulations with maximum torque combined with a peak angle setting between 75°-105° reduced L4-L5 compression and anteroposterior shear forces, glenohumeral contact forces and shoulder flexor muscle forces. The exoskeleton therefore, seemed effective for reducing physical exposure during overhead handling. However, maximum torque with the lowest angle setting, 60°, increased musculoskeletal loading, suggesting that not adjusting the exoskeleton properly could be detrimental. Keywords: musculoskeletal modelling; musculoskeletal diseases; exoskeleton device; lifting; manual material handling; MMH; computer simulation; biomechanics Citation: International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022) pp. 275 - 300 PubDate: 2022-07-21T23:20:50-05:00 DOI: 10.1504/IJHFMS.2022.124304 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022)
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Authors:George Kougioumtzoglou, Anastasios Theodoropoulos, Georgios Lepouras Pages: 301 - 328 Abstract: Modern ships have become larger in scale and function, and their complexity has increased considerably. This brings up many difficulties in evacuation and rescue when an emergency occurs. Therefore, effective evacuation and risk methods should be predicted and applied to design, safety training, and education. We have developed a three-dimensional ship evacuation simulator (SES) facilitating the impersonation of evacuees by computer-controlled autonomous bots (agents) that perform risk assessment and continuously calculate route conditions, communicate with neighbouring occupants, determine bottleneck points, and select the best evacuation routes. In this study, we introduce the simultaneous participation of human users and computer-controlled bots as evacuees in gamified multiplayer scenarios by the runtime spawning of 3D elements such as fire and smoke. SES is a game-engine-based simulator with several benefits such as flexible technology and economic feasibility. We believe that realistic and valid results can be obtained by applying SES in evacuation simulation. Keywords: lightweight simulator; passenger ship; evacuation model; crowd simulation; human-computer interaction; virtual engineering; intelligent agent; evacuation simulation Citation: International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022) pp. 301 - 328 PubDate: 2022-07-21T23:20:50-05:00 DOI: 10.1504/IJHFMS.2022.124274 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022)
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Authors:Gunther Paul, Leyde Briceno Pages: 329 - 341 Abstract: Digital human modelling can be applied to determine skin exposure to sun as a factor in modelling risk of skin cancer. To determine body surface area covered by clothing (BSAC), a variety of garment data must be overlaid with the human model. Two approaches, one based on creation of clothing using MakeHuman add-ons in Blender, and the other based on the import of data are exemplified. Results are compared with data from Zhang (Shah and Luximon, 2019). We found that a scalable library of garment elements, assembled to typical apparel is a feasible way to model clothing. We conclude that valid BSAC could be determined. Keywords: digital human modelling; DHM; body surface area covered by clothing; BSAC; skin cancer; MakeHuman Citation: International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022) pp. 329 - 341 PubDate: 2022-07-21T23:20:50-05:00 DOI: 10.1504/IJHFMS.2022.124277 Issue No:Vol. 7, No. 3/4 (2022)
Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)
[439 journals]
