bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifying hazards at residential and commercial pools: An interactive session
Authors: Hartman Leah S. , Whetsel Borzendowski Stephanie A. , Vredenburgh Alison , Zackowitz Ilene , Campbell Alan O.
Published: February 2021

This special joint session with shared interest from multiple technical groups (Children’s Issues Technical Group, Forensics Professional Group, and Safety Technical Group) provides audience members with an opportunity to discuss multiple case examples of fatal incidents involving children and pools. Participants will first hear several examples of human factors forensic analyses of different cases. The audience will then perform a safety audit for a pool owner, working in teams, identifying potential hazards and ways the owner can mitigate the hazards. Teams will present the findings of the safety analysis. After team presentations, the facts of an incident involving the subject pool will be presented to determine if their safety analysis recommendations could have prevented the specific incident. This session will emphasize the broad application of human factors for forensic incidents involving children and pools as well as safety analyses to educate owners and potentially help to prevent incidents.
A High Reliability Organization (HRO)-based Retrospective Analysis of Boeing 737 Max Crashes
Authors: Khashe Yalda , Levy Soraya
Published: February 2021

The two crashes of Boeing 737 Max aircrafts within the small span of half a year resulted in tremendous loss of life, money, and public trust in the regulatory systems responsible for ensuring passenger safety within increasingly automated aviation systems. However, these two instances of catastrophic system failure provide experts in the fields of human and organizational factors with the opportunity to transform the aviation industry, propelling it into a period of innovative automation technologies, replete with a groundbreaking reverence for system reliability, safety, and preparedness for failure. By applying the key principles of High Reliability Organization (HRO) to a retrospective analysis of the concurrent Boeing 737 Max crashes, we aim to identify relationships between defining HRO characteristics and preventative measures that Boeing, human workers, and regulatory agencies could have followed before and during the accidents’ occurrences.
Reports from the field: current challenges is assessing risk from push pull tasks and gaps in the research base
Authors: Albin T.J. , Fox R. , Gallagher S. , Weston E. , Wiggerman N.
Published: February 2021

In this session, we continue our discussion of push and pull manual materials handling tasks, especially issues related to the use of manual carts. We will describe some current issues in the evaluation of cart-handling tasks from aspects of both risk and performance, describe some practices currently employed to address these issues and will conclude with some thoughts about a program of research to enhance our understanding of how these tasks can be performed safely and efficiently.
Development of an observation-based tool for ergonomic exposure assessment in informal electronic waste recycling and other unregulated non-repetitive work
Authors: Acquah Augustine A. , D’Souza Clive , Martin Bernard , Arko-Mensah John , Asabea Nti Afua , Kwarteng Lawrencia , Takyi Sylvia , Botwe Paul K. , Tettey Prudence , Dwomoh Duah , Quakyi Isabella A. , Robins Thomas G. , Fobil Julius N.
Published: February 2021

Most existing ergonomic assessment tools are intended for routine work. Time- and cost- efficient observational tools for ergonomic assessment of unregulated work are lacking. This paper presents the development of an observation-based tool designed to investigate ergonomic exposures among informal electronic waste workers that could be applied to other unregulated jobs/tasks. Real-time coding of observation is used to estimate the relative duration and intensity of exposure to key work postures, forceful exertions, movements, contact stress and vibration. Time spent in manual material handling activities such as carrying, lifting and pushing/pulling of working carts are also estimated. A preliminary study conducted with 6 e-waste workers showed that the tool can easily be used with minimal training and good inter- observer agreement (i.e., 89% to 100%) for most risk factors assessed. This new assessment tool provides effective and flexible options for quantifying ergonomic exposures among workers engaged in unregulated, highly variable work.
Ergonomic Evaluation of Orchard Ladders with Shorter Rung Spacing
Authors: Duraj Victor , Fathallah Fadi
Published: February 2021

Falls from ladders continue to be a concern in orchard work. Standard ladder design per the American National Standards Institute utilizes 30.5 cm (12-inch) rung spacing, which is the distance between steps along the rails. The European standard provides for a range of 25.0 to 30.0 cm (9.8 to 11.8 inches). This paper reports on a laboratory study of five tripod-style ladders, one with standard rung spacing and four with incrementally shorter spacing of 12.7 mm (0.5 inches). The ladders were positioned at 72 degrees, as well as at shallower 68 and 64 degree orientations. The average increased heart rate was lowest for the 26.7 cm (10.5 inch) rung spacing. Electromyography, motion, and ratings of perceived exertions were also collected. No test subject chose the standard ladder at any angle as their most preferred. The preliminary findings of this study support the reconsideration of the standard 12” orchard ladder.
The social value of Participatory Ergonomics from a practitioner’s perspective
Authors: Costa-Black Kátia M. , Arteberry Chris
Published: February 2021

Ergonomics applies a set of ambitious frameworks and robust body of evidence for integrating different practices to optimize worker health and well-being. One recognized framework is the participatory approach, which delves into sociotechnical workplace actions – developed from the ground up – to achieve improved human performance outcomes and acceptability across the organization. Much of what is known about the value of participatory ergonomics centers on return-on-investment analyses related to injury prevention. Outside this spectrum, little has been discussed. This paper imparts how a participatory approach can lead to various positive impacts beyond financial gains, mainly by focusing on continuous improvements at the management systems level and on proactively motivating people and organizations to embrace healthy working conditions and behaviors. Issues such as the social-ethical value of involving workers in work design and return-to-work solutions are discussed to illustrate the holistic value of participatory ergonomics in the context of Total Worker Health.
Changes in the range of head flexion rotation and neck muscle activity after prolonged use of a smartphone
Authors: Song Donghyun , Kim Eunjee , Kwon Yujin , Kim Hyorim , Shin Gwanseob
Published: February 2021

Text-neck has been the main health concern among smartphone users. The current study explored a potential association between the duration of static head flexion posture during smartphone use and the viscoelastic changes of the cervical spine passive tissues. Ten participants conducted a smartphone task for 30 minutes, and their full head flexion angle and the neck muscle activity during a head extension motion were quantified before, in the middle, and after the 30-min task. Participants reported higher neck discomfort ratings after smartphone use, and the neck muscle activity showed an increasing trend over time. However, no significant difference was found in the muscle activity level between the three time levels. Full head flexion angle also did not vary significantly over time (p > 0.05). Study results imply the reduction of tissue stiffness during smartphone use, but warrant further research with a more sensitive evaluation method.
Investigating Inclusive Design of Shared Automated Vehicles with Full-Scale Modeling
Authors: Tabattanon Kamolnat , Schuler Patrik T. , D’Souza Clive
Published: February 2021

Shared automated vehicles (SAVs) in the form of low-speed driverless shuttles have the potential to improve independent mobility for older adults and people with disabilities. At full vehicle autonomy and in the absence of an onboard operator, tasks such as ingress-egress, interior circulation, and securement of passengers and carry-on items will need to be safe, efficient, and independent. This paper describes a novel laboratory apparatus for conducting inclusive design research related to SAVs and presents preliminary findings from an ongoing preliminary study examining the effects of interior design configuration on ingress-egress performance for six wheelchair users. Early findings emphasize the interactions between diverse user abilities and technology design on user performance. The study demonstrates the potential benefit of full-scale physical simulations to investigating a broad range of usability and inclusive design issues related to emerging SAVs.
Blue Light Exposure Effects on Sleep Attributes in a 72-Hour Military Exercise
Authors: Brown Stephanie A. T. , DeSimone Linda L. , Burke Tina M.
Published: February 2021

In the digital age, the military is developing cutting edge technologies (e.g., heads-up and mixed reality displays, night vision devices, etc.) to maximize situational awareness and effectiveness. Effects of light exposure from screen-based systems on our Soldier-operators has not been fully considered. Some literature concludes that evening blue light exposure preceding bedtime can result in increased alertness and may negatively impact sleep, producing negative moodstates and sleepiness upon wakening. The current study looks at blue light exposure and subsequent sleep of forty-six Soldiers during a company-wide field exercise utilizing wrist-worn actigraphy and light sensors. Observations indicate periods of blue light exposure during evening field operations were followed by sleep intervals with significant decrements in sleep quality. Future studies will isolate the effects of military-specific blue light emitting device exposure in high contrast, low ambient light environments on sleep quality, providing specific guidance and interventions to reduce negative impacts on operations.
Remote Health Monitoring in Children: Needfinding in Parents
Authors: Bryant Shannon M. , Oppold Paul , Schwartz Michael , Martin Glenn
Published: February 2021

Wearable devices seem to be ubiquitous in today’s world. From a runner tracking their jogging route, to the gamification of exercising by achieving steps, to keeping up with notifications from apps and calendar updates, wearables serve as multi-functional devices that attempt to track, analyze, and provide insights about wellness data in our everyday lives. Although wearables among adults have seen an increase since 2016 in usage of approximately 9%, the percent usage for children under the age of 18 is largely undocumented (Liu, 2019). This article focuses on discovering parental needs for remote health monitoring in children and leveraging those needs to recommend device specifications and design guidelines for future children’s wearable devices.
A Data Analytics Approach to Persona Development for The Future Mobile Office
Authors: Kamaraj Amudha V. , Katrahmani Atefeh , Li Mengyao , Lee John D.
Published: February 2021

The concept of using automated vehicles as mobile workspaces is now emerging. Consequently, the in- vehicle environment of automated vehicles must be redesigned to support user interactions in performing work-related tasks. During the design phase, interaction designers often use personas to understand target user groups. Personas are representations of prototypical users and are constructed from user surveys and interview data. Although data-driven, large samples of user data are typically assessed qualitatively and may result in personas that are not representative of target user groups. To create representative personas, this paper demonstrates a data analytics approach to persona development for future mobile workspaces using data from the occupational information network (O*NET). O*NET consists of data on 968 occupations, each defined by 277 features. The data were reduced using dimensionality reduction and 7 personas were identified using cluster analysis. Finally, the important features of each persona were identified using logistic regression.
This or That? Instructions for Use (IFU): IF U Could Pick Your Dream Printout Format
Authors: Chun Young J. , Honig Jeremy
Published: February 2021

An Instructions for Use (IFU) is a critical element of a drug delivery device system user interface that is frequently used as risk mitigation when the product cannot be effectively mitigated by the design of the device itself. However, format of a printout IFU is often selected without thoughtful consideration or even neglected while the IFU contents such as wordings and images are iteratively improved over the course of device development. There is a limited number of research papers that exist on the effects of the IFU printout format on task performance, especially with a drug delivery device. This study was to evaluate two different IFU formats (spiral bound vs accordion style) on task performance for use of a complex reusable electromechanical injection pen device system for preparing and administering medication. This study provides valuable insights for biotech/pharmaceutical industry for optimizing their IFU design by selecting more appropriate hardcopy IFU format for their drug delivery device. This will enable creating optimal user experience as well as more effectively reducing use related risks as part of overall device user interface for a complex drug delivery device system.
Method to Develop a Better Performance Glove Pattern Block Using 3d Hand Anthropometry
Authors: Sokolowski Susan L. , Griffin Linsey
Published: February 2021

Fit challenges exist for performance glove users, because the methods of collecting anthropometric hand data and glove patterning have not been updated in unison. This paper will demonstrate a new method to draft a better basic performance glove pattern block from more relevant hand anthropometric data. The method may be used by product/industrial design educators, professional designers, patternmakers and manufacturers to develop better fitting and functioning gloves.
Anthropometric Analysis to Build Ergonomic Equipment
Authors: Dasgupta Priyadarshini , Kuhn Lisa M. , Faulk Jonathan
Published: February 2021

Body dimensions such as hip breadth, knee height, and chest circumference are important measurements required to build items such as car seats and toilets. However, recent studies strongly point towards a questionable existence or absence of female data in the anthropometric database. Furthermore, many of these databases are dated or are derived from dated models. The objective of this study is to identify an ideal size designation for better fitting choices including both female and male populations for important everyday equipment such as toilet seats.
Autonomous Vehicle Design Anti-Patterns: Making Emerging Transportation Technologies Inaccessible by Design
Authors: Brinkley Julian , Huff Earl W. , Boateng Kwajo , Ahire Suyash
Published: February 2021

Fully autonomous or “self-driving” vehicles represent a potentially transformative shift in personal mobility. Given the emerging nature of self-driving vehicle technologies, however, guidance for accessible implementation is limited. It has been suggested that the result is that much of this emerging technology is being designed in a manner that will render it largely inaccessible for persons with disabilities. Borrowing from object-oriented programming we identify common barriers to accessibility which we argue are de facto anti- patterns in the design of accessible self-driving vehicle technology. Drawing from the literature and our own studies we describe design commonalities (anti-patterns) which we argue may pose problems for persons with disabilities. We believe that this work may provide direction for designers regarding how to better support the needs of persons with a range of disabilities in the self-driving vehicle context.
Public Trust and Acceptance for Concepts of Remotely Operated Urban Air Mobility Transportation
Authors: Chancey Eric T. , Politowicz Michael S.
Published: February 2021

There is building interest within industry and government to enable Urban Air Mobility (i.e., air-taxies). One concept envisions remotely piloted aircraft, yet it is unclear how this will impact public trust and acceptance. Method: Two hundred participants read vignettes describing remotely-piloted UAM operations and then responded to a series of questionnaires. The study employed a one-way between-subjects design manipulating five levels of Pilot-in-Command Distance: Onboard Pilot; Remote Control Pilot; Dedicated Remote Operator; Remote Operator; System Manager. Results: The Remote Control Pilot group indicated they would be less likely than the Onboard Pilot group to use UAM, based on the mediating effect of trust in the automation. The Remote Control Pilot and Remote Operator groups indicated they would be less likely to use UAM than the Onboard Pilot group, based on the mediating effect of trust in the remote pilot/operator. Conclusion: Trust in UAM automation and remote pilots/operators will likely affect public acceptance of UAM.
Robot Career Fair: An Exploratory Evaluation of Anthropomorphic Robots in Various Career Categories
Authors: Tenhundfeld Nathan L. , Phillips Elizabeth K. , Davis Jacob R.
Published: February 2021

Robots are being used in a host of different work environments currently. However, to date there has been very little broad exploration into the designs of systems and how that affects users’ perception of fit for the robots in different job categories. In the present experiment we showed participants images of 252 robots and asked them to make assignments of the robots into 16 potential job categories taken from the U.S. Department of Labor. The robots’ overall human likeness, as well as four contributory components of anthropomorphism were used to predict job category assignment. Results indicate that participants expect higher levels of anthropomorphism in jobs with more direct human interactions (such as education and hospitality), whereas they expect minimal levels in jobs with less human interaction (e.g. agriculture and architecture). Results also indicate that there is more nuance required for these judgments than general human likeness.
Visualizing Uncertainty in Weather Forecasts
Authors: Ding Qinyu , Millet Barbara
Published: February 2021

Uncertainty bears an inherent relationship to weather forecasting. Even with advances in technology and mathematical modeling improving weather forecasts, communicating risks to the public is still challenging. This systematic review investigates design attributes that influence the expression of uncertainty visualization in weather forecasts. A total of 14 publications met the inclusion criteria. This review revealed six categories of design features that can inform how viewers interpret the uncertainty conveyed in weather forecast displays. These design features also provide us with an initial basis for developing guidelines. We discuss how the features might be used and the importance of doing so.
After you: Merging at Highway On-Ramps
Authors: Stoll Tanja , Weihrauch Lucas , Baumann Martin
Published: February 2021

Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication offer new possibilities for cooperatively interactive driving. It enables vehicles to carry out maneuvers cooperatively with other vehicles. However, these maneuvers have to be predictable and understandable to a human driver to prevent the driver from intervening with the automation. In a video-based study, we investigated potential influencing factors on the willingness to behave cooperatively in an on-ramp situation on a highway: the situation’s criticality for the lane-changing vehicle, the way the intention to change the lane was indicated and the scope of action. Moreover, we asked participants to rate their perceived criticality. Participants preferred to change lanes to the left or decelerate to let the other vehicle merge in front of them. If a lane change was not possible, participants rated the situation as more critical. These results are useful for the developing process of human-machine interfaces for cooperatively interacting vehicles.
Sustainable Post-Occupancy Evaluation Survey (SPOES): An Approach to Human Factors in Minnesota State-funded Buildings
Authors: Asojo Abimbola , Vo Hoa , Bae Suyeon
Published: February 2021

An interdisciplinary team from the Interior Design (ID) and the Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR), University of Minnesota developed a tool to inform sustainable design practices in state-funded buildings. The internet-based questionnaire called Sustainable Post Occupancy Evaluation (SPOES) provides both quantitative and qualitative analysis of building occupants’ satisfaction, health, and wellbeing via 12 indoor environmental quality (IEQ) categories. Since 2009, SPOES has provided business and building owners, architects, interior designers, facility managers of 60 state-funded workplace, classroom and residence hall buildings IEQ scores of occupants’ satisfaction to help them better engage building occupants and bring employee health and wellbeing to the forefront of their practices. This presentation will cover the SPOES questionnaire and report formats, results from workplace, classroom, residence hall buildings, and implications for evaluating the impacts of building designs on occupants’ health and wellbeing.
How Trust is Defined and its use in Human-Human and Human-Machine Interaction
Authors: Kaplan A.D. , Kessler T.T. , Hancock P.A.
Published: February 2021

Trust is a critical element in virtually all forms of interactions, including those between humans and machines. Yet aspects of trust do vary somewhat between definitions. The present work seeks to unify these disparate definitions of trust, comparing and contrasting between the major works. Overall, every definition of trust involves an individual in a position of vulnerability (the trustor) and a person on whom they must rely (the trustee) despite circumstances which may place the trustor in some kind of potential for harm. Such engagements are enacted in order to secure some form of gain from the trusting relationship. The ways in which these definitions influence empirical measurement (both qualitative and quantitative) are identified and elaborated on.
Rider Trust and the Role of the Operator in Automated Shuttles
Authors: Carriero Amanda E. , Crabtree Kaedyn W. , Cooper Joel M. , Leonard Blaine
Published: February 2021

Automated, low-speed shuttles are being deployed to help solve the first-mile/last-mile problem in several cities worldwide. To achieve full automation, each of the roles and responsibilities of the operator must be considered. This research aimed to address how increased ridership, abrupt emergency stops, and the operator influenced the development of trust in riders. Surveys and video footage were collected from riders, as well as the operator on-board. Results suggested that increased ridership with the shuttle predicts more positive experiences and confidence in the technology. However, riders that experienced one or more unexpected emergency stops during shuttle operation were less trusting of the technology. In addition, we found that the backup operator actively worked to foster rider trust. These findings suggest that several challenges will need to be addressed in order to develop and maintain rider trust in low speed automated shuttles when an operator is no longer present.
Feedback Modalities in Brain–Computer Interfaces: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ishihara Wakana , Moxon Karen , Ehrman Sheryl , Yarborough Mark , Panontin Tina L. , Nathan-Roberts Dan
Published: February 2021

This systematic review addresses the plausibility of using novel feedback modalities for brain–computer interface (BCI) and attempts to identify the best feedback modality on the basis of the effectiveness or learning rate. Out of the chosen studies, it was found that 100% of studies tested visual feedback, 31.6% tested auditory feedback, 57.9% tested tactile feedback, and 21.1% tested proprioceptive feedback. Visual feedback was included in every study design because it was intrinsic to the response of the task (e.g. seeing a cursor move). However, when used alone, it was not very effective at improving accuracy or learning. Proprioceptive feedback was most successful at increasing the effectiveness of motor imagery BCI tasks involving neuroprosthetics. The use of auditory and tactile feedback resulted in mixed results. The limitations of this current study and further study recommendations are discussed.
Understanding Human Movement Patterns within Cislunar Habitats
Authors: Litaker Harry , Bekdash Omar , Chappell Steve , Beaton Kara , Gernhardt Michael
Published: February 2021

In preparation for testing five Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) commercial cislunar habitat designs, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) embarked on a yearlong in-house training program. This consisted of in-house testing for subject matter experts (SMEs) and crew to informed and ensure evaluation data collection techniques for each of the contractor options. Many evaluation techniques were tested with some continuing forward. Two-test conditions were employed - 1) habitat centric functions with one space element and 2) distributed functions across two or more space elements. This paper will look at one of these techniques—human circulation patterns—to assess a spacecraft habitat’s internal configuration while the crew is working a three day simulated cislunar mission. Real time tracking of the crew was accomplished using the AllTraq© system of ultra- wideband frequency (UWB) receivers and radio frequency identification tags (RFID). Heat maps, Zone Time Histograms, Zone Time Utilizations Tables and Task/Time Density Tables were constructed from the collected data. Results indicated distributing functions across elements decreased crew interference and task wait times. Additionally, areas of underutilization were located, which lead to interior layout design changes.
Assessing the Effect of Countdown Featured TOR Signal on Drivers in Automated Driving Mode Change
Authors: Park HyunJoo , Park HyunJae , Kim Sang-Hwan
Published: February 2021

In conditional automated driving, drivers may be required starting manual driving from automated driving mode after take-over request (TOR). The objective of the study was to investigate different TOR features for drivers to engage in manual driving effectively in terms of reaction time, preference, and situation awareness (SA). Five TOR features, including four features using countdown, were designed and evaluated, consisted of combinations of different modalities and codes. Results revealed the use of non-verbal sound cue (beep) yielded shorter reaction time while participants preferred verbal sound cue (speech). Drivers' SA was not different for TOR features, but the level of SA was affected by different aspects of SA. The results may provide insights into designing multimodal TOR along with drivers' behavior during take-over tasks.
Exploration of Human-Mediated Interruption Strategies via Spoken Information Removal
Authors: Seals Savannah M. , Peters Nia , Pryor Nina
Published: February 2021

Previous research from our laboratory which examined the impact of interruptions on performance in a collaborative communication task, found that interruptions from a synthetic agent, occurring either at fixed or random intervals, had a more deleterious effect on task performance than when interruption timing was determined by a human participant monitoring the communication task (Peters, Romigh, Bradley, & Raj, 2017). These results suggest that interruption times initiated by the human interrupters were more appropriate than the machine-generated ones; however, post-hoc analyses revealed no relation between interruption timing and language information prior to the human interruptions. Given these conflicting results and the demonstrated role of language information in other communication interactions, we aim to identify which spoken language components most motivate human interruption decisions, utilizing methods borrowed from the turn-taking literature (De Ruiter, Mitterer, & Enfield, 2006). Results indicate that listeners leverage prosodic and lexical information in making interruption decisions.
Hand Posture and Force Estimation using Surface Electromyography and an Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Wang Mengcheng , Zhao Chuan , Barr Alan , Yu Suihuai , Kapellusch Jay , Harris Adamson Carisa
Published: February 2021

Prior epidemiological studies have shown that heavy hand exertion force and hand posture (grip versus pinch) are important risk factors for distal upper extremity disorders such as wrist tendinosis and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, quantifying the magnitude of hand exertions reliably and accurately is challenging and has relied heavily upon subjective worker or analyst observations. Prior studies have used electromyography (EMG) with machine learning models to estimate hand exertion but relatively few studies have assessed whether hand posture and exertion forces can be predicted at varying levels of force exertion, duty cycle and repetition rate. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop an approach to estimate hand posture (pinch versus grip) and hand exertion force using forearm surface electromyography (sEMG) and artificial neural networks.
Beyond the Vigilance End-Spurt with Event-Related Potentials
Authors: Morris Megan B. , Haubert Ashley R. , Gunzelmann Glenn
Published: February 2021

As task environments become more automated and operators become more passive monitors, it is important to understand the underlying mechanisms of the vigilance decrement to help inform task development and interventions. Some vigilance studies have reported an end-spurt effect, where performance increases at the end of the task. This is commonly purported to be the result of increased resources from motivation or arousal; however, self-regulation of attentional resources throughout the vigil has not been addressed. To provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the vigilance decrement, we utilize event-related potentials to examine the vigilance decrement beyond the end-spurt. Thirty-two individuals aged 18 – 36 ( M = 22.60; SD = 4.08) completed a vigilance task with an unknown end time while EEG data was collected. Results revealed non-monotonic trends in N1 and P3 components, suggesting that individuals might self-regulate resources during the vigil, adapting to the constraints of the task environment.
Accuracy of Estimating Hand Location During Lifting Using Five Wearable Motion Sensors
Authors: Barim Menekse S. , Lu Ming-Lun , Feng Shuo , Hughes Grant , Hayden Marie , Werren Dwight
Published: February 2021

The purpose of this study was to assess two computation models for estimating the hand locations during lifting tasks using data from five inertial measurement units (IMUs) attached to five body segments. The first model computed the hand location with the IMU gyroscope data and the pre-defined ratios of body segment lengths. The second model used the same gyroscope information and all measured lengths of the body segments. The outcome measure of these models was the estimated hand location in 12 lifting zones defined by the ACGIH Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) for lifting. Motion data was collected with the wearable system and a laboratory-grade motion capture system on ten subjects that performed 12 two- handed lifting tasks representing the lifting zones. By including body segment measurements, the average accuracy of the model improved from 4 to 34%, suggesting that body segment information plays an important role in estimating the lifting zones.
Updates on NORA Musculoskeletal Health Cross-Sector Council Activities
Authors: Rempel David M. , Schneider Scott , Gallagher Sean , Gibson Sheree , Kotowski Susan , Lu Ming- Lun , Fox Robert R. , Dale Ann Marie , Orr Gary , Howard Ninica , Zavitz Ben , McGowan Blake , Wurzelbacher Steven , McCoskey Kelsey , Orta-Anes Lida
Published: February 2021

The National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) is a research framework for the nation and for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The NORA Musculoskeletal Health Cross-Sector (MUS) Council focuses on the mitigation of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Two projects have been chosen by the MUS Council for disseminating existing information on ergonomic assessment methods and interventions. The first project involves collaboration with the AIHA Ergonomics Committee on the latest update of the AIHA Ergonomic Assessment Toolkit. The second project aims to post all-industry information on ergonomic solutions/interventions/guidelines in collaboration with the International Ergonomics Association (IEA). The MUS Council plans on leveraging the collaborative efforts for promoting widespread adoption of evidence-based workplace practices for the prevention of WMSDs.
Usability Challenges with EHRs During Pre-Rounding in the Pediatric Acute Care Department
Authors: Alami Jawad , Borowitz Stephen , Riggs Sara L.
Published: February 2021

Health providers heavily rely on Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems in the daily patient care. While EHRs have improved the quality of patient care, issues related to implementation and training with these systems have resulted in clinician frustration and burnout. The goal of this work is to identify usability issues related to the EHRs during the pre-rounding process. Residents in the Pediatric Acute Care Department completed questionnaires before and after the experimental portion of this study where they were assigned two patients to pre-round. The results showed several emerging themes of issues residents encounter that include access cost of finding certain types of information, added workload offloaded to the residents, and incomplete information while pre-rounding. This initial study shows that these usability issues have resulted in increased frustration among residents. Addressing these issues related to EHRs could streamline the pre-rounding process and reduce the workload of the clinicians.
Understanding Exercise Challenges and Barriers for Older Adults with Mobility Disabilities
Authors: Nie Qiong , Koon Lyndsie M. , Khamzina Madina , Rogers Wendy A.
Published: February 2021

Interventions to address exercise challenges in older people have been the focus of recent research, given the importance of exercise for health outcomes. However, exercise challenges for older adults with mobility disabilities have received little attention. We investigated participation of exercise among older adults with mobility disabilities to understand exercise barriers and challenges experienced by this population. We conducted a needs assessment using two archival datasets: a quantitative survey with 1,137 respondents and a qualitative in-depth interview with 23 participants. The quantitative evaluation revealed low participation of walking and less engagement of vigorous activities, and significant correlates of health status and lack of energy with vigorous activities. The in-depth interviews showed exercise challenges were attributed to difficulties with physical limitations, accessibility, and environmental limitations. Individuals with mobility disabilities may face unique challenges and barriers, affordable and effective supports to promote exercise engagement for them should be adapted to such needs.
Exploring The Effect of Visual Information Degradation on Human Perception and Performance In A Human-Telerobot System
Authors: Stone Richard , Wang Minglu , Schnieders Thomas , Abdelall Esraa
Published: February 2021

Human-robotic interaction system are increasingly becoming integrated into industrial, commercial and emergency service agencies. It is critical that human operators understand and trust automation when these systems support and even make important decisions. The following study focused on human-in-loop telerobotic system performing a reconnaissance operation. Twenty-four subjects were divided into groups based on level of automation (Low-Level Automation (LLA), and High-Level Automation (HLA)). Results indicated a significant difference between low and high word level of control in hit rate when permanent error occurred. In the LLA group, the type of error had a significant effect on the hit rate. In general, the high level of automation was better than the low level of automation, especially if it was more reliable, suggesting that subjects in the HLA group could rely on the automatic implementation to perform the task more effectively and more accurately.
Augmented Reality Applications in Support of Electrical Utility Operations
Authors: Sebok Angelia , Mann Rita , Andre Terence , Gronstedt Anders , Chik Kerri , Cooley Ian , Shell Dustin , Anderson Heather
Published: February 2021

The electric utilities industry is facing a potential crisis. As experienced workers are preparing to retire, new employees are being hired to take their place. These new workers lack the training and experience of the retiring workforce. This paper describes the potential use of Augmented Reality (AR) to address the challenges posed by this loss of expertise. The research effort investigated opportunities to use AR to improve knowledge transfer in the electric utilities industry.
Tread Patterns and the Effect on Basketball Player Slippage
Authors: Fales Colten W. , Stone Richard T. , Van Groningen Daniel , Westby Braden
Published: February 2021

The focus of this study was to investigate the effects that different basketball shoe outsole tread patterns have on the amount of slip and therefore the performance of the individual while undergoing normal basketball transitions. Tread grooves and patterns must exist on the outsole of a basketball shoe to account for the chances of contamination and for the practical durability of the shoes. With the existence of so many basketball shoes with varying tread patterns and characteristics it presents the question of whether or not varying patterns affect traction, slip, and athletic performance. This study evaluated the amount of slips of two pairs of basketball shoes with human participants running basketball drills on a hardwood basketball floor at Wartburg College. The results indicated that one shoe with a more unique tread pattern exhibited fewer slips and severe slips, especially when considering lateral movements, than the shoe with a tread pattern seen more often in shoes available on the market today.
Mobile Environment for Developing User Situation Awareness (MEDUSA): Training for Healthcare Professionals
Authors: Kass Steven J. , Eddy Brian , Reichherzer Thomas , Van Der Like Jill , Jones Dean , King Alexander , Mazour Branden , McCourt Ryan
Published: February 2021

This paper describes the development of a mobile phone application (MEDUSA) for training situation awareness. MEDUSA was developed as a cost efficient form of on demand training to supplement other more costly, traditional forms of training such as simulation labs and live patient rounds. Users care for a simulated patient and are tested using a version of the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT). Users receive feedback on how many SAGAT queries they answered correctly and are provided tips on how to improve SA. Initial usability testing demonstrated strong support for the program among a sample of nursing students. Continued efforts are on-going in the design and testing of a teaching portal that allows trainers to easily create their own scenarios.
Pink Elephants on the Road: Visual Illusions and Distortions when Driving during Significant Sleep Deprivation
Authors: Craig Curtis M. , Morris Nichole L. , Schwieters Katelyn R. , Iber Conrad
Published: February 2021

Visual hallucinations, illusions, and distortions have been observed in individuals undergoing severe periods of extended wakefulness. However, the incidence of these perceptual phenomena occurring during applied domains such as driving have been underreported. This study investigates effects of a 30-hour period of extended wakefulness during which participants abstained from stimulants and were not allowed to sleep or nap. Participants drove every 4 hours during this period on an uneventful 30-minute driving route in a fullcab high fidelity driving simulator. At the end of the study, participants reported whether they experienced significant visual illusions or distortions, and when the events occurred. Participants reported visual distortions and illusions during drives comprising a time period between 22 and 30 hours awake. Furthermore, self-reported mental workload and extroversion predicted the likelihood of experiencing the visual phenomena. Potential mechanisms for this relationship and possible consequences for safe driving performance during significant sleep deprivation are discussed.
Human-Machine Interfaces for Handover from Automated Driving Systems: A Literature Review
Authors: Greatbatch Richard L. , Kim Hyungil , Doerzaph Zachary R. , Llaneras Robert
Published: February 2021

New automated driving systems are constantly being developed and integrated into vehicles. At the current state of technology, these features still require drivers to monitor performance and resume control when required by the systems. To cue drivers to take control, a takeover request (TOR) is presented with auditory, visual, and haptic cues. To characterize current TOR practices, a literature review was conducted to review types of human-machine interfaces (HMI’s) and their associated message presentation. Twenty-six articles were identified after searching keywords across journal articles and conference proceedings. HMIs and message types were identified and classified. Results indicated that TORs are more commonly used as general alerts to gain driver attention to driving tasks, rather than to request drivers to engage in a specific action or explain context of the TOR. Literature suggests that future systems may focus more on not only alerting drivers but providing additional context to those alerts.
Visual Blood Loss Estimation Accuracy: Directions for Future Research Based on a Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Phillips Rachel , Friberg Marc , Lantz Cronqvist Mattias , Jonson Carl-Oscar , Prytz Erik
Published: February 2021

Visual blood loss estimation occurs in a variety of medical contexts and may impact everything from interventions by immediate responders to the likelihood of receiving blood transfusions in a hospital setting. However, research suggests that visual blood loss estimation is inaccurate for laypeople and medical professionals. The aim of the current study was to conduct a systematic literature review to determine the current state of knowledge on visual blood loss estimation accuracy and identify directions for future research. A structured search resulted in 1799 titles that were subsequently screened. A total of 72 articles were coded for comparison. Based on the evaluation, several gaps were identified, most notably related to factors of the situation that may influence estimation accuracy such as blood flow and victim/patient gender. Directions for future research are proposed based on identified gaps.
Ergonomic Redesign of the Coca Cola Freestyle Machine Graphical User Interface to Improve Accessibility
Authors: Hannan Rebecca , Laform Samantha , Boyle Kate , Danziger Samuel , Mahyoub Mohammed A. , Gao Smith Tianqi
Published: February 2021

The purpose of this research is to redesign the graphical user interface of the Coca Cola Freestyle machine to improve its usability for individuals with visual impairments. The proposed design included a feature to increase text and button size. Also, the drink selection process was reordered. In this study, the original display and the redesign were implemented on a touchscreen laptop to emulate the actual process. Ten subjects with normal and impaired vision were recruited respectively and were randomly assigned to complete a drink selection task in using either the “Original” GUI or a “Redesign” created by the authors (n=5).User feedback was collected and analyzed. The drink dispensing task completion time was recorded and analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey pairwise comparison. It was concluded that the original design was easier to navigate in terms of icon position, but the redesign was preferred because of its flexibility to change the text size.
Training Novices to Discriminate Retinal Diseases Using Perceptual Learning
Authors: Amiri Elnaz , Sha Patty , Palmer Evan M.
Published: February 2021

Perceptual learning refers to the enhanced ability of users to pick up information from a class of stimuli and is achieved through rapid, repeated stimulus exposure with feedback. Classifying optical coherence tomography images of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) scans as either the wet or dry subtype is an extremely difficult perceptual task that typically requires years of training. The purpose of this study was to develop techniques to quickly train users to classify AMD retinal scan images as wet or dry. To determine whether gamification techniques might aid perceptual learning, half of the participants received a gamified feedback during training while the other half received informational feedback only. Results demonstrated significant improvement in AMD image classification for both the gamified and non-gamified groups, even on retinal scans never encountered during training. Participants in the gamified group, however, had higher levels of intrinsic motivation for the task.
Rail Safety: Examining the Effect of Driving Experience and Type of Crossing on Safety Concerns
Authors: Linja Anne , Lautala Pasi , Nelson David , Veinott Elizabeth S.
Published: February 2021

Vehicle-train collisions at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings continue to be a safety concern and despite improvements in warnings, many of these incidents are attributed to human error. In some cases, distractions other than railroad traffic, such as nearby highway intersections, may create additional burdens for drivers’ decision making. In this study, we systematically examined safety concerns across two types of Highway-Rail Grade Crossings: non-short storage and short-storage. In a controlled experiment, 48 college-aged drivers viewed a series of driving scene images and identified, rated, and explained up to five safety concerns in each image. Participants reported more safety concerns and higher average severity of those concerns for short-storage rail crossings than non-short storage, but these findings did not depend on rural vs. urban driving experience. Content analysis of the 1,230 safety concerns using chi-squared analysis revealed differences in attention to dynamic safety concerns by rail crossing type, but not to static concerns.
Optimal Placement of Anti-Counterfeiting Indicators
Authors: Sterling Elizabeth K. , Peterson Doug
Published: February 2021

With the expansion of the internet, counterfeiting and the purchase of counterfeit goods has exploded. In spite of this, little to no research has been completed on whether or not anti-counterfeiting technologies on packages are noticed by consumers. This was an exploratory research study that examined where participants inspected product packages when specifically asked to look for authenticity cues. Participants were also asked to state what parts of the package made them feel confident in the genuineness of the product. The results found suggested that the participants in this study focused more on the words on the package. The participants did comment that they were specifically looking for spelling errors in the text. Further research is needed to continue to investigate if overt anti-counterfeit indicators are a good investment to help prevent consumers from accidentally purchasing counterfeit products.