Influence of forward head posture on muscle activation pattern of the trapezius pars descendens muscle in young adults.

Forward head posture (FHP) is a serious problem causing head and neck disability, but the characteristics of muscle activity during long-term postural maintenance are unclear. This study aimed to investigate a comparison of electromyography (EMG) activation properties and subjective fatigue between young adults with and without habitual FHP. In this study, we examined the changes in the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of muscle activity using high-density surface EMG (HD-SEMG) in addition to mean frequency, a conventional measure of muscle fatigue. Nineteen male participants were included in the study (FHP group (n = 9; age = 22.3 ± 1.5 years) and normal group (n = 10; age = 22.5 ± 1.4 years)). Participants held three head positions (e.g., forward, backward, and neutral positions) for a total of 30 min each, and the EMG activity of the trapezius pars descendens muscle during posture maintenance was measured by HD-SEMG. The root mean square (RMS), the modified entropy, and the correlation coefficient were calculated. Additionally, the visual analogue scale (VAS) was evaluated to assess subjective fatigue. The RMS, VAS, modified entropy, and correlation coefficients were significantly higher in the FHP group than in the normal group (p < 0.001). With increasing postural maintenance time, the modified entropy and correlation coefficient values significantly decreased, and the mean frequency and VAS values significantly increased (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the forward position had significantly higher RMS, correlation coefficient, modified entropy, and VAS values than in the neutral position (p < 0.001). The HD-SEMG potential distribution patterns in the FHP group showed less heterogeneity and greater muscle activity in the entire muscle and subjective fatigue than those in the normal group. Excess muscle activity even in the neutral/comfortable position in the FHP group could potentially be a mechanism of neuromuscular conditions in this population.

Evaluation of mental workload during automobile driving using one-class support vector machine with eye movement data.

The aim of this study is to investigate the usefulness of the anomaly detection method by one-class support vector machine (OCSVM) for the evaluation of mental workload (MWL) during automobile driving. Twelve students (six males and six females) participated. The participants performed driving tasks with a driving simulator (DS) and the N-back task that was used to control their MWL. The N-back task had five difficulty levels from "none" to "3-back." Eye and head movements were measured during the DS driving. Results showed that the standard deviation (SD) of the gaze angle, SD of eyeball rotation angle, share rate of head movement, and blink frequency had significant correlations with the task difficulty. The decision boundary of OCSVM could detect 95% of high MWL state (i.e., "3-back" state). In addition, the absolute value of the distance from the decision boundary increased with the task difficulty from "0-back" to "3-back."

A novel approach to bi-objective optimization of touch-screen installation position for minimizing physical workload and increasing screen visibility.

The aim of this study was to propose a new method for optimizing the touch-screen installation position in order to minimize the physical workload and increase screen visibility. Ten students participated in this study. The participants utilized a touch screen at different installation heights (50, 65, and 80% of stature), tilt angles (0°, 45°, and 90° from the horizontal plane), and having different button sizes (a square with a side of 10, 20, and 30 mm). The joint angles, when using a touch screen, were measured to calculate the joint torque ratios (JTRs). Subjective screen visibility were also determined. The optimal installation position was determined by solving a bi-objective optimization problem consisting of two objective functions. The Pareto optimal solutions for the two objectives showed a range of 1124-1251 mm and 44.4-67.9°. The proposed method determined the optimal installation position of the touch screens.

Evaluation of physical workload affected by mass and center of mass of head-mounted display.

A head-mounted display (HMD) with inappropriate mass and center of mass (COM) increases the physical workload of HMD users. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mass and COM of HMD on physical workload. Twelve subjects participated in this study. The mass and posteroanterior COM position were 0.8, 1.2, or 1.6 kg and -7.0, 0.0, or 7.0 cm, respectively. The subjects gazed at the target objects in four test postures: the neutral, look-up, body-bending, and look-down postures. The normalized joint torques for the neck and the lumbar region were calculated based on the measured segment angles. The results showed that the neck joint torque was significantly affected by mass and COM and it increased as the HMD mass increased for all test postures. The COM position that minimized the neck joint torque varied depending on the test postures, and the recommended ranges of COM were identified.

Perceived discomfort functions based on joint moment for various joint motion directions of the upper limb.

The aim of the present study was to formulate the relationship between the perceived discomfort and the joint moment ratio for twelve joint motion directions of the upper limb by considering the between-subject variability, and to investigate the effect of joint motion direction. Three approximation models (i.e., linear, exponential, and logistic function models) were compared in terms of the accuracy of predicting the perceived discomfort, and the logistic function was selected because its average error was lowest. The concept of L-R fuzzy number was used to consider the individual variability of perceived discomfort, and a simplified distribution of perceived discomfort was represented. Cluster analysis showed that the twelve discomfort functions formed two clusters: one for elbow flexion and a second for the remaining joint motions. The data show that elbow flexion is more sensitive than other joint motions to increases in the joint moment ratio.

Evaluation of multiple muscle loads through multi-objective optimization with prediction of subjective satisfaction level: illustration by an application to handrail position for standing.

Proposed here is an evaluation of multiple muscle loads and a procedure for determining optimum solutions to ergonomic design problems. The simultaneous muscle load evaluation is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem, and optimum solutions are obtained for each participant. In addition, one optimum solution for all participants, which is defined as the compromise solution, is also obtained. Moreover, the proposed method provides both objective and subjective information to support the decision making of designers. The proposed method was applied to the problem of designing the handrail position for the sit-to-stand movement. The height and distance of the handrails were the design variables, and surface electromyograms of four muscles were measured. The optimization results suggest that the proposed evaluation represents the impressions of participants more completely than an independent use of muscle loads. In addition, the compromise solution is determined, and the benefits of the proposed method are examined.

Evaluation function of drinking ease from aluminum beverage bottles relative to optimum bottle opening diameter and beverage type.

In recent years, aluminum beverage bottles having screw tops with opening diameters of 28 and 38 mm have been launched in the Japanese market in keeping with the modern-day drinking habits of consumers. Although Japanese consumers are familiar with such bottles, a majority of them feel that the 28 mm opening is too small and the 38 mm opening is too large. Therefore, we felt the need to develop a method for evaluating consumer feelings when they drink a beverage directly from the bottle opening. For this purpose, we propose an evaluation function of drinking ease that calculates the optimum opening diameter of the bottle. From results of our previous study, we know that there exists an ideal volume of beverage flowing into the mouth, at which consumers feel most comfortable while drinking directly from bottles. Therefore, we define the evaluation function of drinking ease in terms of the difference between the actual volume of fluid in the mouth and the expected ideal volume. If this difference is small, consumers probably feel comfortable while drinking the beverage. We consider a design variable, i.e., the opening diameter, and two state variables, i.e., the volume of beverage remaining in the bottle and the height of consumers, and construct the response surface of the evaluation function by using radial basis function networks. In addition, for investigating the influence of beverage type on the evaluation function, we select green tea and a carbonated beverage (Coke) as test beverages. Results of optimization of the proposed function show that when the opening diameters are 35.4 mm and 34.4 mm in the case of green tea and Coke, respectively, the actual volume of fluid in the mouth is closest to the ideal volume and the participants feel most comfortable. These results are in agreement with results of our previous study that an opening diameter of 33 mm is optimum for young Japanese adults. Thus, we confirm that the proposed function is accurate; it can be used to design bottle openings to suit consumers of various age groups and types of beverages.