## 2 Materials and Methods  
Given the recent emergence of research on virtual reality technology, this paper takes an exploratory stance and prioritizes qualitative inquiry [11]. Five senior practitioners and researchers with expertise in virtual reality, automotive product development, and ergonomics assessments defined the initial research strategy, which was then assessed by three other senior researchers, and finally all authors peer debriefed the strategy. We followed the design science research (DSR) paradigm, which not only contributes to the advancement of knowledge but also addresses real-world applications related to the research problem or opportunity [12]. According to the DSR artifact taxonomy, our study provides an artifact of type guideline; the use type is support, and the structure is the suggestion regarding behavior in a particular situation. A guideline provides a generalized suggestion about system development; it does not have a fixed structure, but will usually make statements like \"in situation X one could/should do Y\". We carried out the following DSR's six steps: (1) identify the problem; (2) define the solution objectives; (3) design and development; (4) demonstration; (5) evaluation; and (6) communication. In DSR steps 1 and 2, the problem was identified, and the objectives of the research were set by conducting a systematic review of the literature and patents on this topic [10]. This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) principles [13] and a method comprising planning, scoping, searching, assessing, and synthesizing [14]. Step 3 involved the design and development of the artifact. Based on the referred literature and patents' review, we focused on the automotive industry because it has a large manufacturing operation and various ergonomic injury-causing elements. The following four assembly procedures were selected: the front transmission axle, the rear transmission axle, the radiator, and parking brake. These selected procedures were not chosen randomly or for convenience. Instead, the selection was based on ergonomic injury data from the automotive industry, specifically focusing on the body parts most frequently associated with injuries over the last five years. For the assessment of posture, hand clearance, and strength, body postures were selected, which affects the shoulder, lower back, hands (reach and clearance), wrist, elbow, and knee, which have been reported as the primary causes of ergonomic-related injuries in the industrial business in the last five years [15]. Then, we simulated the four assembly procedures in VR and DHM, focusing on the physical ergonomics conditions. To create a realistic simulation, everything in the workplace (parts, racks, tools, and equipment, as well as the worker him/herself) was exported from Computer-Aided Develop (CAD) Siemens NX, version 1899, and used to design the scenario for each assembly procedure. The VR simulations used a VIVE PRO head-mounted display (HMD) (HTC Corporation, New Taipei City, Taiwan) while the DHM simulations used a Dell notebook with an Intel CoreTM processor i3-1005G1. Bothsimulations were supported by Siemens Tecnomatix 16 and Jack 9.0 software; these tools were chosen since they are typical automotive industry resources. Jack is developed by Siemens Digital Industries and enables the improvement of product ergonomics and the refinement of industrial processes through human modeling and simulation. It is also regarded as one of the premier human simulation tools for conducting ergonomic evaluations [16]. Jack's simulation tools allow users to run a variety of analytic methods, including Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA); Ovako Working Posture Analysis (OWAS); the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lift equation; and hand clearance, strength, and zone of view [16]. With RAMSIS and Delmia, Jack is one of the most often used commercial software for DHM applications [17]. Tecnomatix is also a product from Siemens.