Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Human trunk'

The general purpose of this study was to examine factors that may influence acceleration characteristics of the upper body during walking, thereby clarifying the means by which the postural system facilitates dynamic stability of the upper body during walking. Upper body accelerations were measured during a range of straight-line walking tasks. Time domain, frequency domain, signal regularity and coupling analyses were used to 1) provide new insight into gait-related upper body accelerations during walking in normal healthy adults, and 2) determine how the postural system accommodates to perturbations that challenge upper body stability during walking. The specific perturbations to the postural system that were examined in the present study were the normal ageing process, changes in walking speed, and fatigue of the cervical and lumbar erector spinae. In general, the patterns of accelerations measured at the level of the head were an attenuated version of those at the lower trunk during normal walking. Power spectral analysis revealed that both the head and lower trunk in the anterior-posterior (AP) and vertical directions (VT) directions were characterised by a single peak frequency corresponding the step frequency during normal walking. However, the most notable of all attenuation profiles was the difference between accelerations of the head and lower trunk in the mediolateral (ML) direction. ML trunk accelerations were characterised by multiple low amplitude frequency peaks, which were attenuated to a single peak at the head corresponding to stride frequency. The coupling between acceleration directions was greater for the head than the lower trunk, suggesting that the postural system promotes a coordination strategy which enhances global stability of the head. Subdividing the upper body into neck and trunk segments facilitated a more comprehensive description how the gait-related oscillations are prevented from impacting on the motion of the head. Overall, acceleration amplitude, power content, and regularity were predominantly regulated by the trunk segment, especially for the AP and ML directions. This suggests that the trunk segment plays a critical role in modulating the amplitude and structure of gait-related oscillations prior to reaching the neck segment and thus the head. It was envisaged that examining factors that may challenge the individual (the normal ageing process), and the walking task (changes in walking speed, and induced fatigue of the upper body), would provide new insight into the extent to which the postural system prioritises head stability during walking. Regardless of the challenges imposed on the postural system due to the ageing process, upper body movement was organised in a manner which assisted in maintaining a degree of head stability comparable to those observed under normal walking conditions. Similarly, the importance that the postural system places on maintaining head stability was evident in the attenuation characteristics of the trunk and neck segments when walking speed was manipulated, and neuromuscular fatigue induced. Manipulating walking speed highlighted the critical role that the trunk segment has in regulating upper body accelerations arising from gait-related events. Aside from a minor contribution from the neck segment in the direction of travel at preferred and fast walking speeds, regulation of accelerations occurred due to the dynamics of the trunk segment. Inducing neuromuscular fatigue of the cervical and lumbar erector spinae groups (CES and LES) revealed compensatory movement strategies of the upper body, with a view of enhancing head stability. For several variables quantifying attenuation, fatiguing one muscle group, such as the CES, resulted in changes in the dynamics of another level of the upper body, such as the trunk segment. The trunk segment was particularly dominant in regulating upper body accelerations under fatigued conditions, further reinforcing the importance to control accelerations prior to reaching the neck and head. Overall, the results of this study suggest that optimal head stability is reliant on the trunk segment providing a stable base of support for the neck and head. By regulating accelerations via the trunk segment, the postural system is effectively regulating the orientation of the neck and head, and the inclusive sensory organs. It was evident that the postural system prioritises, and in general, maintains head stability during walking despite challenges imposed on upper body stability.

The general purpose of this study was to examine factors that may influence acceleration characteristics of the upper body during walking, thereby clarifying the means by which the postural system facilitates dynamic stability of the upper body during walking. Upper body accelerations were measured during a range of straight-line walking tasks. Time domain, frequency domain, signal regularity and coupling analyses were used to 1) provide new insight into gait-related upper body accelerations during walking in normal healthy adults, and 2) determine how the postural system accommodates to perturbations that challenge upper body stability during walking. The specific perturbations to the postural system that were examined in the present study were the normal ageing process, changes in walking speed, and fatigue of the cervical and lumbar erector spinae. In general, the patterns of accelerations measured at the level of the head were an attenuated version of those at the lower trunk during normal walking. Power spectral analysis revealed that both the head and lower trunk in the anterior-posterior (AP) and vertical directions (VT) directions were characterised by a single peak frequency corresponding the step frequency during normal walking. However, the most notable of all attenuation profiles was the difference between accelerations of the head and lower trunk in the mediolateral (ML) direction. ML trunk accelerations were characterised by multiple low amplitude frequency peaks, which were attenuated to a single peak at the head corresponding to stride frequency. The coupling between acceleration directions was greater for the head than the lower trunk, suggesting that the postural system promotes a coordination strategy which enhances global stability of the head. Subdividing the upper body into neck and trunk segments facilitated a more comprehensive description how the gait-related oscillations are prevented from impacting on the motion of the head. Overall, acceleration amplitude, power content, and regularity were predominantly regulated by the trunk segment, especially for the AP and ML directions. This suggests that the trunk segment plays a critical role in modulating the amplitude and structure of gait-related oscillations prior to reaching the neck segment and thus the head. It was envisaged that examining factors that may challenge the individual (the normal ageing process), and the walking task (changes in walking speed, and induced fatigue of the upper body), would provide new insight into the extent to which the postural system prioritises head stability during walking. Regardless of the challenges imposed on the postural system due to the ageing process, upper body movement was organised in a manner which assisted in maintaining a degree of head stability comparable to those observed under normal walking conditions. Similarly, the importance that the postural system places on maintaining head stability was evident in the attenuation characteristics of the trunk and neck segments when walking speed was manipulated, and neuromuscular fatigue induced. Manipulating walking speed highlighted the critical role that the trunk segment has in regulating upper body accelerations arising from gait-related events. Aside from a minor contribution from the neck segment in the direction of travel at preferred and fast walking speeds, regulation of accelerations occurred due to the dynamics of the trunk segment. Inducing neuromuscular fatigue of the cervical and lumbar erector spinae groups (CES and LES) revealed compensatory movement strategies of the upper body, with a view of enhancing head stability. For several variables quantifying attenuation, fatiguing one muscle group, such as the CES, resulted in changes in the dynamics of another level of the upper body, such as the trunk segment. The trunk segment was particularly dominant in regulating upper body accelerations under fatigued conditions, further reinforcing the importance to control accelerations prior to reaching the neck and head. Overall, the results of this study suggest that optimal head stability is reliant on the trunk segment providing a stable base of support for the neck and head. By regulating accelerations via the trunk segment, the postural system is effectively regulating the orientation of the neck and head, and the inclusive sensory organs. It was evident that the postural system prioritises, and in general, maintains head stability during walking despite challenges imposed on upper body stability.<br>Thesis (PhD Doctorate)<br>Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)<br>School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science<br>Full Text

Les Personnes à Mobilité Réduite (PMR) souffrent souvent de limitation au cours de la locomotion. Plusieurs outils sont à leurs dispositions pour les aider et les assister dans leur déplacement, plus particulièrement le Fauteuil Roulant Manuel (FRM) ou électrique. Ces travaux de thèse se focalisent sur les interactions entre le sujet et le FRM afin de déterminer des éléments prédictifs du déplacement à venir dans l’optique d’une aide à la locomotion. Comprendre l'Interaction Homme-FRM (IHF) est un enjeu actuel afin d'améliorer le déplacement et d’optimiser la performance ainsi que le confort, en minimisant la fatigue et les risques des blessures. Pour contribuer à mieux comprendre voire améliorer cette IHF, un ensemble d'études centrées sur une analyse biomécanique et électromyographique des éléments d'anticipation de l'Initiation du Déplacement en FRM (ID-FRM) a été réalisé au cours de ces travaux de thèse. Cet ensemble d’études porte sur i) les Activités Musculaires Anticipatoires (AMA) en position assise pour interroger la prédictibilité des mouvements au regard de ses paramètres préalables ; ii) l’évolution des patterns musculaires et des pressions sur l'assise lors de l'ID-FRM, pour interroger l’adaptabilité ou la spécificité des paramètres initiaux lors de différents déplacements en FRM chez des sujets valides. ; iii) l’évolutions des patterns musculaires et des pressions sur l'assise lors de l'ID-FRM chez des sujets blessés médullaires et ; iv) l’analyse multi-variée des paramètres de l'ID-FRM. Le SNC présente des capacités d'adaptabilité importantes au mouvement à venir en ajustant les commandes motrices aux conditions physiologiques globales du sujet. Cette adaptabilité a conduit à des pourcentages importants de prédiction et elle peut être enregistrée au travers d'éléments macroscopiques permettant d'envisager des systèmes d'aide au déplacement, notamment pour les PMR<br>People with Disabled Mobility (PDM) often suffer from limitation during locomotion. Several tools are at their disposal to help and assist them in their displacement, specifically the electric or the Manual Wheelchair (MW). This thesis works focuses on the Human-MW-Interaction (H-MW-I) subject to determine elements predictors of forthcoming displacement with a view of aid to locomotion. Understanding (H-MW-I) is a current challenge to improve the displacement and optimize the performance as well as comfort, by minimizing fatigue and injury risk. In order to enhance understanding and even improving the (H-MW-I), a set of studies focusing on Biomechanics and electromyographic analysis of anticipation elements of the Manual Wheelchair Initiation Displacement (MW-ID) was performed during the thesis works. This set of studies focuses on i) Anticipatory Muscular Activities (AMA) in the sitting position to question the predictability of the movements in relation to its prior parameters; ii) evolution of muscular patterns and pressures on the seat when MW-ID to question the adaptability or specificity of the initial parameters during various displacements using MW in healthy subjects ; iii) evolution of muscular patterns and pressures on the seat when MW-ID in spinal cord injury subjects and; iv) multivariate analysis of the MW-ID parameters. The CNS presents an important capacity of adaptability to the forthcoming movement by adjusting motor commands to the global physiological condition of the subject. This adaptability has led to significant percentages prediction and it can be saved through macroscopic elements to envisage help systems to displacement for PDM

Long haul drivers spend a lot of time in their trucks which consequently serves as both a work place and a second home. The Internet, and communication and information technology can be used for both personal uses by the drivers, and lead to major savings for the haulage firms and provide high level service to the customers. This study investigates what needs long haul drivers have for using the Internet in their trucks, and which devise that best would suit their needs. A questionnaire study was held including 35 drivers, and an interview study including 30 drivers. The results show that almost all drivers want to perform work related tasks through the Internet, and several of them also want to use personal applications online. Work tasks online needs to be performed during the day, whereas private use of the Internet mostly would take place at nights. Several drivers are positive to an integrated system for using the Internet in the truck, and the study presents a possible concept for such a system, and discusses the results related to present research and applicable theories.

According to Folgiatto, da Silveira and Borenstein (2012), the current trend in the industry indicates a change from a mass production to a mass customization manufacturing. This mass customization means an increase on the need of flexibility, as the production line must be ready for frequent changes in order to adapt for producing different product variants. Human-Robot collaboration has demonstrated to be a great tool for increasing not only the flexibility but also the productivity, as either the human operator or the robot will be working on the task under issue. Within this collaborative environment, equipment for providing the robot with the information about where to move, pick and place a part is needed. Multiple types of sensors are used in the industry to fulfill this need. However, the adoption of this type of technical equipment might result very expensive. This thesis focuses on the assembly of a valve-hood on top of a truck diesel engine, for which a collaborative robot will be used in order to remove the task of lifting this part from the human operator. Later both parts will screw in conjunction the bolts of the valve hood, hence, a solution for finding the bolts is needed. Despite providing a brief study of the current options in the market, regarding high resolution cameras for robots, this thesis aims to provide a low-cost alternative by not making use of any of them. A blind solution is proposed. This solution consists in the implementation of coordinate geometry equations in the robot software in order to create a program that allows the robot to find the bolts without regard to the orientation with which the valve-hood is placed in front of the robot. This code is used later for creating a sequence in which the robot is assigned to find the entirety of the bolts. In order to evaluate the performance of the adopted solution an accuracy experiment is conducted. This experiment is divided in three parts in which three different positions of the valve-hood are tried. Within each position ten repetitions are made at the 50% and 100% percent of the speed. The main metric used for measuring the accuracy is the deviation (in mm), which is measured between the target bolt position and the actual contact position found by the robot. The overall results of this experiment show a good accuracy, with a precise enough alignment to the center of the bolt position so to allow a correct screwing operation. As a conclusion, the adopted blind solution shows to be feasible for being implemented in this scenario.<br><p>Det finns övrigt digitalt material (t.ex. film-, bild- eller ljudfiler) eller modeller/artefakter tillhörande examensarbetet som ska skickas till arkivet.</p>

In the driving task, vision, hearing, and the haptic senses are all used by the driver to gather required information. Future Intelligent Transportation Systems components are likely to further increase the volume of information available to or required by the driver, particularly in the case of commercial vehicle operators. The use of alternate modalities to present in-vehicle information is a possible solution to the potential overload of the visual channel. Auditory icons have been shown to improve operator performance and decrease learning and response times, not only in industrial applications, but also as emergency braking warnings. The use of auditory icons in commercial truck cabs has the potential to increase the number of auditory displays that can be distinguished and understood by commercial vehicle operators, and this experiment sought to determine the utility of auditory icons in that situation. Nine auditory icons were evaluated by commercial vehicle operators as they drove an experimental vehicle over public roads. A comparison of the data collected in the truck-cab environment to data collected in a laboratory study on the same auditory icons revealed some differences in the perceived meaning, perceived urgency, and association with the auditory icons' intended meanings between the two conditions. The presence of these differences indicates that driver evaluations of auditory icons can be affected by the environment, and testing should therefore be conducted in a situation that approximates the end-user environment as closely as possible. A comparison of the drivers' brake response times across the three warning conditions (no warning, auditory icon, and soft braking) was also conducted on a closed, secure handling course. Dependent measures included overall brake reaction time and its components, steering response time, time to initial driver action, and categorical measures of driver responses (steering, swerving, braking, and stopping). The results indicated numerically shorter mean response times (on the order of 0.5 seconds for Total Brake Response Time) for the two conditions with warnings, but the differences were not statistically significant. The most likely reason for this lack of significance is the extreme between-subject variability in response times in the no warning condition. An analysis of the response time variance across the three conditions did indicate significantly less variability in operator responses in the two warning conditions. Two of the five dependent measures (Brake Pedal Contact Time and Total Brake Response Time) exhibited significantly reduced variance in the auditory icon warning condition compared to the no warning condition. The soft braking warning condition exhibited significantly reduced variance for four of the dependent measures (Accelerator Reaction Time, Brake Pedal Contact Time, Total Brake Response Time, and First Reaction Time). These results indicate that a soft braking stimulus like that used in this study could potentially prove to be a more effective emergency braking warning than simple auditory warnings alone.<br>Master of Science

The follow study analyses and identifies the strategies of human resources about the implementation of the productions concept called Modular Conception, in the Resendes trucks and buses plant. The general hypothesis is that both the management equity and the organizational justice were determinant in these strategies. So that was realized a literature revision involving the theories of motivation and organizational justice, associated to the compromisement of the employee. To comprove the studys main hypothesis was realized a survey of descriptive nature among the companies of the Modular Conception. The instrument of data collection was a questionnaire composed by twenty affirmations, with levels of disagreement and agreement. The main conclusions were the follow: the employees believe that the fact of the benefits and remuneration system are equal consolidate the sense of management equity; the organizational justice is one of the main points of the organization, since that the employees believe that they have an equal treatment to all, independent of social position, color, and credo. Besides the employees believe in the rules and procedures and, in case they came to be treated without justice, they will get justice through open channels in the organization. Analyzing the indicators of human resources verifies it that the absenteeism, turnover and workers lawsuits are the lowest of the Volkswagens group plant. All these factors converge to the most representatives answers of the employees: 80.9% are motivated to work in the company and 90.2% agree that the organization is a good place to work. Therefore, confirming the basic hypothesis rose: management equity and organizational justice lead the employees to have pleasure in belonging and not only being tied to the Modular Conception.<br>O presente estudo analisa e identifica as práticas de recursos humanos quando da implementação do conceito de produção denominado Consórcio Modular, na fábrica de caminhões e ônibus da Volkswagen em Resende. A hipótese geral é que as práticas administrativas, especialmente, eqüidade administrativa e distribuição de justiça, implementadas por recursos humanos na fábrica de caminhões e ônibus em Resende, são fonte de satisfação por parte dos empregados. Dessa forma, foi realizada uma revisão da literatura envolvendo as teorias de motivação e justiça organizacional associada ao comprometimento do empregado e gestão de clima organizacional. Para comprovar a hipótese central do estudo foi realizada uma pesquisa de clima organizacional de natureza descritiva dentro das empresas do Consórcio Modular. O instrumento de coleta de dados foi um questionário composto de vinte afirmações, com níveis de discordância e concordância. As principais conclusões foram as seguintes: os empregados acreditam que o fato de os benefícios e sistema de remuneração serem iguais consolidou o sentido de eqüidade administrativa; a justiça organizacional é um dos pontos fortes da organização, visto que os empregados acreditam que há um tratamento justo a todos independentemente de posição social, cor, credo. Além disso, os empregados acreditam nas normas e procedimentos e, caso venham a ser tratados com injustiça, a obterão por meio dos canais abertos na organização. Quando se analisam os indicadores de recursos humanos constata-se que o absenteísmo, rotatividade de mão-de-obra e processos trabalhistas são os mais baixos das fábricas do grupo Volkswagen. Todos esses fatores convergem para as mais representativas respostas dos empregados: 80,9% estão motivados na empresa e 90,2% entendem que a organização é um bom lugar para se trabalhar. Portanto, comprovando a hipótese básica levantada: eqüidade administrativa e justiça organizacional levam os empregados a terem prazer em pertencerem e não somente estarem vinculados ao Consórcio Modular.

In the road transportation industry development is moving towards more advanced technology and the use of automation in the driving environment is increasing. Regarding the safety risks associated with an unconsidered use of a high degree of automation, it is expensive to develop automatic systems dealing with complex situations. As there is still much improvement to do in this area, this thesis aims to contribute to developing safe autonomic systems to assist truck drivers. The aim of the study was twofold, namely 1) to use Cognitive Work Analysis to identify opportunities for enhancing human-heavy vehicle system performance and 2) to contribute to improving the possibilities for identifying opportunities for enhancing system performance through the development of a method of prioritizing Activities using a Contextual Activity Template. To identify the opportunities for improvement, the first two phases of a Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) – Work Domain Analysis (WDA) and Control Task Analysis (ConTA), were conducted. To complete the WDA, five hours of interviews were conducted with a senior technical adviser from Scania CV AB as well as a two hour interview with an experienced commercial driver. Additionally, an observation study was conducted during which three video cameras were used to capture sixteen hours of footage (per camera) from 35 hours (2500kms) of observation (one driver/day over a four day period). During the observation study, drivers were asked to talk out loud about the information needed, decisions made and to provide some rational for their behavior at that time with respect to their driving activities. A total of 40 minutes of talk out loud video data was collected per driver. Finally, around five hours of follow-up interviews were conduct-ed during which these drivers reviewed the videos collected during the observation study. The results from the WDA were presented in an Abstraction Hierarchy. The overall functional purpose of the system was defined as Goods Distribution via Road Transportation with the values and priorities being Effectivity and Efficiency, Safety, Comfort, Laws/regulations, Reputation, and Organizational Regulations. For the WDA in the current thesis, the AH was completed for the first three values listed above. In total the AH included 343 nodes (39 at the Purpose Related Functions level, 77 at the Object Related Processes level, and 211 at the Physical Objects level). The means by which the physical objects were used in different situations was described using a Contractual Activity Template. The object related processes defined in the AH were crosschecked with 42 situations identified during the observation study. Eight hours of further interviews were conducted with the previously-observed drivers to better understand the relationship between the object related processes and the situations. The object related process-situations matrix was then prioritized according to importance and frequency. On the basis of this prioritization, a set of potential improvement areas were identified, as for example communication and visibility during highway driving.<br>Transportindustrins utveckling går mot mer avancerad teknik och högre automationsgrad i förarmiljön. Det är kostsamt att utveckla automatiska system som klarar att hantera komplexa situationer på grund av de säkerhetsrisker som är förknippade med ogenomtänkt införande av automation. Eftersom det fortfarande finns mycket förbättring att göra inom området syftar denna studie till att bidra i utvecklingen av säkra autonoma system som stödjer lastbilschauffören. Studien hade ett tvåfaldigt syfte, nämligen 1) att använda Cognitive Work Analysis för att identifiera möjligheter att förbättra människa-fordonssystemsprestandan för tunga lastbilar och 2) att bidra till att förbättra möjligheterna att identifiera möjliga systemförbättringar genom utveckling av en metod för prioritering av aktiviteterna i en Contextual Activity Template. För att identifiera förbättringsmöjligheterna genomfördes de två första faserna av Cognitive Work Analysis – Work Domain Analysis (WDA) och Control Task Analysis (ConTA). För WDA utfördes fem timmar av intervjuer med en senior technical adviser från Scania VC AB och en två timmars intervju med en erfaren kommersiell lastbilschaufför. Utöver detta genomfördes en observationsstudie där tre videokameror användes för att samla 16 timmars inspelning (per kamera) från 35 timmars (2500 km) observation (en förare/dag under en fyradagarsperiod). Under observationsstudien berättade förarna högt om informationsbehov, beslut som tas och förklarade beteendet under de olika köraktiviteterna. Totalt 40 minuter av videodata när förarna berättade högt insamlades per förare. Slutligen genomfördes ungefär fem timmar av efterföljande intervjuer där samma förare fick återge körningen utifrån videomaterialet från observationsstudien. Resultatet från WDA presenterades i en abstraktionshierarki. Det övergripande funktionella syftet med systemet var definierat som godsdistribution via vägtransport med värdena och prioriteringarna Effektivitet, Säkerhet, Komfort, Lagar/Regler, Rykte och Organisatoriska regler. För WDA:n i detta examensarbete gjordes en AH för de tre första värdena nämnda ovan. Totalt bestod AH av 343 noder, (39 på nivån med syftesrelaterade funktioner, 77 på nivån med objektrelaterade processer och 211 på nivån med fysiska objekt). I vilka situationer de fysiska objektens funktioner användes beskrevs med en Contractual Activity Template (CAT; Naikar et al., 2006). De objektrelaterade processer definierade i AH:n undersöktes utifrån 42 situationer identifierade under observationsstudien. Åtta timmar av vidare intervju genomfördes med förarna från observationsstudien för att erhålla en bättre förståelse för förhållandet mellan de objektrelaterade processerna och situationerna. Matrisen med objektrelaterade processer och situationer prioriterades sedan enligt betydelse och frekvens. Baserat på prioriteringen identifierades ett antal potentiella förbättringsområden, exempelvis kommunikation och synlighet under landsvägskörning.

A human-centered approach when developing new support systems in vehicles has the potential to enable the driver to make safe decisions in the transition between manual and automatic control. However, careful considerations have to be taken. Not only would the design of the systems, in terms of interface be important, but also what kind of activities the systems support. The aim of this study was to identify an appropriate activity to support the cognitive processes for truck drivers, develop an interface for this activity, and evaluate it in driving situations. This was executed in three sub-studies: the Pre-study, the Design-study, and the Evaluation study. In the Pre-study, the aim was to investigate for what kind of driver-related activity distribution and long haulage truck drivers need a driver support and interface. This was investigated via contribution from truck drivers, HMI/Ergonomics experts, as well as engineers. The activity chosen to support was detecting objects around the vehicle. However, reconsiderations were made due to constrains in the simulator. Suggested by Scania’s Vehicle Ergonomics group a holistic system was chosen; an interface approach enabling for more technologies to be included within the same interface, reducing the amount of modalities a driver can be exposed to. The Design-study addressed the aim of designing an interface for the Holistic system with truck drivers’ cognitive workload in focus. A LED-prototype was built running along the window edges inside the cab of Shania’s Vehicle Ergonomics groups’ simulator, to create warning signal concepts. Literature findings, the LED-prototype, and the simulator were used in an iterative process to design and improve warning signal concepts, until two final concepts were created. The holistic system informs of hazards around and near the vehicle by lighting the area risky objects occurs to guide drivers’ attention and this was done either with 1) the informative display or, 2) the directional display. The Informative display conveys information of a hazard location and type, and the Directional display exclusively conveys information of the hazard location. The Evaluation study explored how drivers were affected by, and how they perceived, the holistic interface design regarding mental workload and hazard detection. A user simulator test was designed to collect data within the areas of ‘Event detection’, ‘Workload’, ‘Driving performance’ and ‘Subjective opinion’. Fourteen professional truck drivers assessed three conditions: 1) Baseline (driving without a system), 2) the Informative display, and, 3) the Directional display, while being exposed to potential hazards. To further increase workload, a secondary task was performed at the end of each condition. The results showed that the Informative display did not only result in more ‘Detection hits’, instances when a driver responded to a present hazard, but also significantly decreased reaction time to detect a hazard. However, in terms of acceptance, the two concepts were considered equally preferred. As the Informative display showed to be more efficient in terms of hazard detection, this should be investigated further. A holistic interface enables for more systems to be included within the same interface, reducing the amount of alarms and modalities drivers are exposed to if designed skillfully. Thus, more support systems can be included in future vehicles, without causing unnecessary distraction when applying a holistic interface approach.<br>Ett människocentrerat förhållningsätt vid utveckling av nya stödsystem i fordon möjliggör för förare att ta säkra beslut i övergången mellan manuell kontroll och automation. Men noggranna överväganden måste tas. Inte bara systemets utförande i form av gränssnittet är av stor vikt, utan även vilken typ av aktivitet som stöds. Syftet med denna studie var att identifiera en lämplig aktivitet att stödja lastbilsförares kognitiva processer, utveckla ett gränssitt för denna aktivitet och utvärdera gränssnittet i en körsituation. Detta utfördes i tre substudier: Förstudien, Designstudien samt Utvärderingsstudien. Förstudiens syfte var att undersöka för vilken typ av körrelaterad aktivitet distributions- och långtransportförare behövde ett förarstöd och gränssitt. Detta undersöktes med bidrag från lastbilsförare, HMI/Ergonomi experter samt ingenjörer. Den valda aktiviteten blev upptäcka objekt framför och kring lastbilen. Dock ändrades den valda aktiviteten på grund av begräsningar i simulatorn. Förslaget från Scanias Ergonomigrupp för förarhytten blev ett Holistiskt system istället; en gränssnittsstrategi som möjliggör att fler tekniker och system att inkluderas i samma gränssnitt, vilket minskar antalet modaliteter en förare kan bli utsatt för.  Designstudien behandlar syftet beträffande utformningen av gränssnittet för det holistiska systemet med avseende på lastbilsförares kognitiva belastning. En LED-prototyp byggdes, denna löpte längs med fönsterkanten i förarhytten på Scanias Ergonomigrupps simulator, för att skapa varningssignals-koncept. Resultat från litertur, LED-prototypen och simulatorn användes i en iterativ process för att utveckla och förbättra varningssignalerna. Det holistiska systemet informerar om faror runt fordonet genom att tända ljus i det område riskfyllda objekt upptäckts för att leda förarens uppmärksamhet och detta görs med något av de två utvecklade koncepten: 1) det informativa varningskonceptet eller 2) det riktningsgivande konceptet. Det informativa konceptet förmedlar information om farans placering och typ, medan det riktningsgivande varningskonceptet enbart förmedlar information om farans placering. Utvärderingsstudien utforskade hur förare påverkades av och hur de upplevde det holistiska gränssnittet med avseende på mentalbelastning och upptäckten av faror. Ett användartest i en simulatorutvecklades för att samla in data inom områdena Upptäckt av faror, Mentalbelastning, Körförmåga samt Subjektiv uppfattning. Fjorton professionella förare bedömde tre tillstånd: 1) Baslinje (körning utan ett system), 2) det informativa varningskonceptet och 3) det riktningsgivande varningskonceptet, medan de blev utsatta för potentiella faror. För att öka den mentala belastningen utfördes en sekundäruppgift vid slutet av varje tillstånd. Resultaten visade att det Informativa varningskonceptet inte enbart resulterade i fler upptäckta faror, tillfällen då förare reagerade på en närvarande fara, utan även signifikant minskade reaktionstider att upptäcka faror. Däremot föredrogs båda koncepten i samma utsträckning med avseende på acceptans. Då det informativa varningskonceptet visades sig mest effektivt gällande upptäckten av faror borde denna undersökas vidare. Ett holistiskt gränssitt möjliggör för fler system att inkluderas i samma gränssitt och minskar mängden alarm och modaliteter som en förare kan utsättas för om det designas skickligt. Om ett holistiskt gränssnitt tillämpas kan därmed fler stödsystem innefattas i framtida fordon utan att orsaka oönskad distraktion.

Inom trafikforskningen är det allmänt känt att sömnighet är en starkt bidragande faktor vid trafikolyckor. Tidigare forskning har visat att sömnighet hos förare är närvarande i 16–-23 procent av alla bilolyckor. Inom flyg- och järnvägsdomänen har en metod, med en stark influens från human factors-området, kallad Fatigue risk management (FRM) använts för att undersöka hur sociala och organisatoriska faktorer påverkar personalens sömnighetsnivå. Dock har denna metod inte använts för att undersöka lastbilsförares sömnighetsnivå i någon större utsträckning. Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur lastbilsförare upplever, motarbetar och motverkar sömnighet i deras dagliga arbetssituation. Resultaten visar att lastbilsförare i sitt arbete möter en stor mängd trötthetsbidragande faktorer, som kan härledas både till organisatoriska faktorer och individuellt beteende. Möjliga sätt att motverka sömnighet bland lastbilsförare, riktade mot både individen och organisationen, föreslås.<br>In the traffic domain it is commonly known that sleepiness is a highly contributing factor in traffic accidents. Research has shown that sleepiness among drivers is present in about 16-–23 per cent of all car accidents. In the aviation and railway industry a method or framework with some shared influences from the Human Factors approach, called Fatigue Risk Management (FRM) has been used to investigate how social and organisational factors affect the personnel’s level of sleepiness. The overall aims of this study are to investigate how truck drivers’ experience, fight and counteract sleepiness in their daily work environment. The results show that drivers face a wide variety of sleep contributing factors, stemming from both organisational factors and individual behaviour. Possible ways of counteracting truck driver sleepiness, concerning both the individual and the organisation, are also suggested.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005.<br>Giddens, P. Don, Committee Chair ; Vito, P. Raymond, Committee Member ; Taylor, Robert, W., Committee Member ; Oshinski, John, Committee Member ; Bao, Gang, Committee Member. Includes bibliographical references.

This diploma thesis deals with an analysis and evaluation of risk in the freight transport company – Doprava Vícha s. r. o. The thesis describes the current situation in a freight transport industry, an applicable legislation, and risk analysis methods FMEA and WHAT-IF. Further the thesis analyses risks of a freight transportation and describes the company Doprava Vícha s. r. o. in detail. The thesis proposes a set of actions in order to minimize identified risks. The handbook with most important actions and advices for drivers is attached.

De tekniska system som tävlar om förarens uppmärksamhet i bilar och lastbilar ökar både i antal och komplexitet. Detta kanske inte är ett problem på en rak, lugn motorväg men minskar fokus på själva körningen och om något oväntat skulle hända kan konsekvenserna bli allvarliga eftersom föraren är distraherad och kan behöva ta in för mycket information på en gång. Syftet med projektet var att utveckla ett system för att presentera endast relevant och önskad information till förare av lastbilar och bussar i kritiska trafiksituationer. Detta för att göra det möjligt för föraren att fokusera mer på körningen och därigenom göra den säkrare och bekvämare. Å ena sidan ska systemet upptäcka vilken typ av trafiksituation lastbilen befinner sig i. Å andra sidan ska det avgöra vilken typ av information som skulle vara relevant för föraren i den situationen. Med en litteraturstudie, insamlad statistik, intervjuer och författarnas åsikter som grund identifierades ett antal händelser (som telefonsamtal och förekommande varningar) som kan inträffa i förarhytten på en lastbil och hur mycket de vardera skulle öka förarens arbetsbörda (workload). Detsamma gjordes för ett antal vanliga trafiksituationer som kan betraktas som kritiska och kräver mer uppmärksamhet än att bara köra rakt fram. Dessa händelser och situationer betygsattes därefter utifrån hur mycket de skulle öka belastningen på de sinnen som används mest i en körsituation, nämligen: synen, hörseln, motoriken och kognitionen. Matriser gjordes i vilka uppgifter och situationer ställdes mot varje sinne med betyg vilket senare användes som grund för de tre koncept som utvecklades för systemet. Koncepten hette Jigsaw, Fever och Three’s a crowd och utvärderades i en workshop på Scania. De två första realiserades i form av prototyper som gjordes i programmet GUIDE. Logiken som byggdes upp i programmet bestod av tillståndsmaskiner och med boolsk logik samt if- och while-slingor.<br>The technical systems that compete for drivers’ attention in cars and trucks are increasing both in numbers and complexity. This may not be a problem on a straight and sound highway but definitely decreases the focus on the actual driving and if something unexpected was to happen there could be dangerous consequences, due to too much distraction and information overload. The purpose of the project was to develop a system to present only relevant and desired information to drivers of trucks and busses in critical traffic situations, for the Swedish truck manufacturer Scania. This will enable the driver to focus more on the driving thus creating a safer and more comfortable driving situation. On one hand the system had to detect what type of traffic situation the truck is in. On the other hand it had to determine what type of information would be suitable for the driver in that situation. With a literature study, statistics, interviews and the authors’ judgments as a basis the project first identified a number of tasks (like phone calls and occurring warnings) that can take place in the cab of a truck and then assess how much they respectively would raise the workload of the driver. The same was done for a number of common traffic situations that were considered as critical and demanded more attention than just driving straight ahead. All these tasks and situations were graded on how much they would raise the load on the senses most used in a driving situation: visual, auditory, motor and cognitive. Matrices were made cross-referencing the tasks and situations with the grades on each modality and was used as the basis for the three concepts for the system that was developed. The concepts called Jigsaw, Fever and Three’s a crowd were evaluated in a workshop at Scania and the first two were realized in the form of prototypes which were made in the software GUIDE. The logic was made up of state machines and Boolean operators and if- and while-conditions.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:19:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5753.pdf: 2217344 bytes, checksum: 0fb3595b520f776853349e4095faa810 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-21<br>Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos<br>In Brazil, it is estimated a 30-fold increase in the number of runners in the last 15 years. This growing number of practitioners has been noticed all over the world. It is known that most of the injuries that occur during this activity involves the knee joint (42,1%) and, the Patellofemoral Pain (PFP) is the commonest. Recently, it has been hypothesized that running technique modification (such as, landing with the forefoot on the ground [FFOOT], increasing 10% of the step rate [10% SR] and increasing the trunk flexion [TFLEX]) has the potential to reduce the demand on the knee joint. However, no study evaluated the effects of these running techniques on the lower limb and trunk three-dimensional joint kinematics and on comfort reported by runners. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the immediate effects FFOOT, 10% SR and TFLEX on the trunk, hip, knee and ankle kinematics and on the subjective assessment of comfort during running. Thirty-one healthy rearfoot strike-landing runners (20 males, 11 females) were evaluated. For such, the Qualisys Motion Capture System was used to collect data during Usual Running (USRUN) and the other three running techniques and, a visual analogue scale was used to evaluate comfort in each condition. The variables of interest were collected during initial foot contact on the treadmill. For statistical analysis, it was used the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with repeated measures (alpha level of 0.05). During the FFOOT, it was shown reduction in the knee external rotation (P < 0.001), hip flexion (P < 0.001), adduction (P = 0.001), internal rotation (P < 0.001), greater knee adduction (P = 0.016), knee flexion (P < 0.001) and plantar flexion (P < 0.001). The 10% SR demonstrated diminished knee external rotation (P = 0.001), hip internal rotation (P = 0.008) and, hip flexion (P = 0.001), however, there was greater knee flexion (P = 0,042). The TFLEX increased knee adduction (P = 0.001), hip flexion (P < 0.001), trunk flexion (P < 0.001), but decreased plantar flexion (P = 0.003). The USRUN was the most comfortable technique (P = 0.033 0.002). Therefore, we were to conclude that the three running technique modifications can minimized the knee and hip movements in the frontal and transverse planes that are associated with greater stress on the patellofemoral joint. In addition, the FFOOT and 10% SR techniques resulted in increased knee flexion that could improve the impact forces absorption. It is believed that a gradual transition to these running techniques may improve comfort.<br>No Brasil, estima-se um aumento de 30 vezes no número de corredores nos últimos 15 anos. Esse crescente número de praticantes é observado em todo o mundo. Sabe-se que o maior número de lesões nesta atividade envolve a articulação do joelho (42,1%) sendo a Dor Patelofemoral (DPF) a disfunção mais comum nessa articulação. Recentemente, têm sido hipotetizado que a modificação da técnica de corrida (tal como a aterrissagem com o antepé no solo [CAA], o aumento de 10% na frequência da passada [CFP10] e o aumento da flexão do tronco [CFT]) apresenta potencial de reduzir a demanda na articulação do joelho. Entretanto, não há estudos que avaliaram a influência dessas técnicas de corrida na cinemática articular tridimensional do membro inferior e do tronco e no conforto relatado por corredores. Dessa forma, o objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar os efeitos imediatos da CAA, CFP10 e CFT na cinemática do tronco, quadril, joelho e tornozelo e na percepção de conforto durante a corrida. Foram avaliados 31 corredores sadios, com padrão de aterrissagem iniciado pelo retropé (20 homens, 11 mulheres). Para tal, a corrida habitual (CHAB) e as 3 técnicas de corrida foram coletadas utilizando o sistema de captura e análise do movimento Qualisys Motion Capture System e, uma escala visual analógica foi utilizada para a avaliação do conforto em cada condição. As variáveis de interesse foram obtidas no contato inicial do pé na esteira ergométrica. Para análise estatística foi utilizado o teste de análise de variância multivariada (MANOVA) com medidas repetidas (nível de significância de 5%). Durante a execução da CAA, foi observada diminuição da rotação lateral do joelho (P<0,001), da flexão (P<0,001), da adução (P=0,001), e da rotação medial do quadril (P<0,001) e, aumento da adução (P=0,016) e da flexão de joelho (P<0,001) e da flexão plantar do tornozelo (P<0,001). A CFP10 diminuiu a rotação lateral do joelho (P=0,001) e a rotação medial (P=0,008) e a flexão do quadril (P=0,001), porém aumentou a flexão do joelho (P=0,042). A CFT aumentou a adução do joelho (P=0,001), a flexão do quadril (P<0,001) e a flexão do tronco (P<0,001), mas diminuiu a flexão plantar do tornozelo (P=0,003). A CHAB foi a técnica mais confortável (P=0,033 P=0,002). Assim, é possível concluir que as 3 modificações da técnica de corrida são capazes de minimizar os movimentos do joelho e quadril nos planos frontal e transversal relacionados ao aumento do estresse patelofemoral. Além disso, a CAA e a CFP10 resultaram em aumento da flexão do joelho, o que pode contribuir com uma melhor absorção das forças de impacto. Acredita-se que após uma adaptação gradual com as modificações da técnica de corrida, o conforto relatado possa ser aumentado.

La conduite d’un véhicule industriel est une activité professionnelle complexe qui s’exerce dans un environnement dynamique en constante évolution. Elle nécessite un apprentissage spécifique et se situe dans un cadre réglementaire strict, qui relève aussi bien du code du travail que de la réglementation routière. A ces caractéristiques s’ajoutent de fortes contraintes spatio-temporelles qui imposent aux conducteurs le recours à des stratégies opératoires pour répondre à l’objectif principal de leur activité : le respect des délais de livraison dans des conditions optimales de sécurité, de sûreté et de productivité.Cette thèse traite de l'apport de la psychologie cognitive à la conception de systèmes d'assistance à la conduite de véhicules industriels. Les travaux sont destinés à intégrer, dès la conception des nouveaux systèmes, les contraintes du fonctionnement cognitif humain en situation réelle, ainsi que les besoins et attentes des conducteurs, afin que leur soient proposées des solutions technologiques adaptées et utilisables.La partie appliquée illustre deux dimensions majeures de l'activité de conduite d'un camion : la productivité, au travers de la problématique de l'assistance à l'éco-conduite (projet Conduite Economique Assistée, ADEME- RENAULT TRUCKS) ; la sécurité, au travers de la problématique de l'assistance à la détection et à la protection des usagers vulnérables de la route (projet VIVRE2, ANR-PREDIT05-LUTB).D’un point de vue scientifique, la thèse aboutit à la proposition d’un modèle du fonctionnement humain dans les activités finalisées, complété par un modèle adapté à l’activité de conduite d’un véhicule industriel. Les analyses effectuées en situations réelles enrichissent les connaissances, d’une part, sur les stratégies de conduite appliquées à la conduite rationnelle d’un poids lourd en environnement extra-urbain, et, d’autre part, sur les composantes de l’activité des conducteurs qui effectuent des livraisons en milieu urbain. De plus, les travaux effectués dans le cadre du projet VIVRE2 ont permis de préciser les représentations et les comportements à risque des usagers vulnérables vis-à-vis des camions en ville.D’un point de vue applicatif et ergonomique, les travaux sur simulateur dynamique de conduite ont permis l’évaluation d’une interface homme-machine innovante qui pourrait être adaptée à l’éco-conduite, ainsi que la proposition et l’évaluation de systèmes d’assistance pour garantir la sécurité des usagers vulnérables lors des manœuvres à basse vitesse en milieu urbain<br>Driving a truck is a complex professional activity that takes place in a dynamic and constant changing environment. It needs a specific learning and it is set in a strict regulated framework including French labour code (Code du travail) as road regulation. Strong spatio-temporal pressure should be added to those characteristics. These constraints entail to drivers the use of operative strategies to achieve the main objective of their activity: respect of delivery time in optimal conditions of safety, security and productivity.This thesis deals with the contribution of cognitive psychology to the design of driving assistance systems for trucks. Works are intended to integrate, from the design of new systems, the demands of human cognitive functioning in real situation and the needs and expectations of drivers so that adapted and usable technological solutions could be proposed to them.Applied part shows two major dimensions of truck driving activity: productivity through the issue of the eco-driving assistance (“Conduite Economique Assistée, ADEME- RENAULT TRUCKS” project) and safety through the issue of the assistance to detection and protection of vulnerable road users (“VIVRE2, ANR-PREDIT05-LUTB” project).From a scientific point of view, the thesis ends with a proposal of a model of human functioning in finalized activities, of which is added an adapted model of the truck driving activity. The analysis performed in real environment enhance knowledge, on the one hand, on the applied driving strategies to the eco-driving of a truck in extra-urban environment and, on the other hand, on the components of the activity of drivers doing deliveries in urban environment. Moreover, works performed in VIVRE2 project allowed to specify representations and risky behaviours of vulnerable users with relation to trucks in town.From an applicative and ergonomic point of view, works on driving dynamic simulator allowed the evaluation of an innovative man-machine interface which could be adapted to eco-driving and the proposal as well as the evaluation of assistance systems to guarantee safety of vulnerable users during low speed manoeuvres in urban environment

An ergonomically designed work environment may decrease work related musculoskeletal disorders, lead to less sick leaves and increase production time for operators and companies all around the world. Volvo Construction Equipment wants to deepen the knowledge and investigate more carefully how operators are actually sitting whilst operating the machines, how this affects placement of controls and furthermore optimize controls placements accordingly. The purpose is to enhance their product development process by suggesting guidelines for control placement with improved ergonomics based on operators’ sitting postures. The goal is to deliver a process which identifies and transfers sitting postures to RAMSIS and uses them for control placement recommendations in the cab and operator environments. Delimitations concerns: physical ergonomics, 80% usability of the resulted process on the machine types, and the level of detail for controls and their placements. Research, analysis, interviews, test driving of machines, video recordings of operators and the ergonomic software RAMSIS has served as base for analysis. The analysis led to (i) the conclusion that sitting postures affect optimal ergonomic placement of controls, though not ISO-standards, (ii) the conclusion that RAMSIS heavy truck postures does not seem to correspond to Volvo CE’s operators’ sitting postures and (iii) and to an advanced engineering project process suitable for all machine types and applicable in the product development process. The result can also be used for other machines than construction equipment. The resulted process consists of three independent sub-processes with step by step explanations and recommendations of; (i) what information that needs to be gathered, (ii) how to identify and transfer sitting postures into RAMSIS, (iii) how to use RAMSIS to create e design aid for recommended control placement. The thesis also contains additional enhancements to Volvo CE’s product development process with focus on ergonomics. A conclusion is that the use of motion capture could not be verified to work for Volvo Construction Equipment, though it was verified that if motion capture works, the process works. Another conclusion is that the suggested body landmarks not could be verified that they are all needed for this purpose except for those needed for control placement. Though they are based on previous sitting posture identification in vehicles and only those that also occur in RAMSIS are recommended, and therefore they can be used. This thesis also questions the most important parameters for interior vehicle design (hip- and eye locations) and suggests that shoulder locations are just as important. The thesis concluded five parameters for control categorization, and added seven categories in addition to those mentioned in the ISO-standards. Other contradictions and loopholes in the ISO-standards were identified, highlighted and discussed. Suggestions for improving the ergonomic analyses in RAMSIS can also be found in this report. More future research mentioned is more details on control placement as well as research regarding sitting postures are suggested. If the resulted process is delimited to concern upper body postures, other methods for posture identification may be used.

碩士<br>中原大學<br>工業工程學系<br>87<br>Anthropometry is concerned with measuring the size of the human body, in order to understand the difference between the subject and the population. Anthropometry has accumulated a large number of data, but these data are used for anthropological classification or in the study of esthetics or physiology. Around 1940, anthropometry went from theoretical science into applied science. The purpose of this thesis is emphasized on the application of anthropometry by utilizing a 3D human body scanner, putting the front and rear image into the computer, analyzing, and reducing the measurement error. Because the difference in race, height, weight, and dimension, the variation is obvious. The study emphasizes the body types of Taiwan population. In order to develop the protecting apparatus of the trunk, we use the size of the human trunk, including : chest width, waist width, waist thickness, buttock wide, and buttock thickness. We use the fuzzy theory to divide the body trunk into three classes. Trunk sizes of 68 nurses in CHANG GUNG Memorial Hospital were used as the classified specimen. To obtain the complete curve of the trunk, we connected the front and rear image by hand. The classification result can be used as a basis for the development of the trunk protective apparatus. The classification result indicated that class 1 and class 3 were larger, in the membership function class 2 was more centralized. The accuracy ratio was 57.35%. Since the coordinate data must be marked by hand on the computer screen, different observers made larger errors. Repeated markings of the same observer had smaller error. It is believed that when the scanner is fully developed, the data will be more accurate.

Upper body control is required to complete many daily tasks. One needs to stabilize the head and trunk over the pelvis, as one shifts the center of mass to interact with the world. While healthy individuals can perform activities that require leaning, reaching, and grasping readily, those with neurological and musculoskeletal disorders present with control deficits. These deficits can lead to difficulty in shifting the body center of mass away from the stable midline, leading to functional limitations and a decline in the quality of activity. Often these patient groups use canes, walkers, and wheelchairs for support, leading to occasional strapping or joint locking of the body for trunk stabilization. Current rehabilitation strategies focus on isolated components of stability. This includes strengthening, isometric exercises, hand-eye coordination tasks, isolated movement, and proprioceptive training. Although all these components are evidence based and directly correlate to better stability, motor learning theories such as those by Nikolai Bernstein, suggest that task and context specific training can lead to better outcomes. In specific, based on our experimentation, we believe functional postural exploration, while encompassing aspects of strengthening, hand-eye coordination, and proprioceptive feedback can provide better results. In this work, we present two novel cable robotic platforms for seated and standing posture training. The Trunk Support Trainer (TruST) is a platform for seated posture rehabilitation that provides controlled external wrench on the human trunk in any direction in real-time. The Stand Trainer is a platform for standing posture rehabilitation that can control the trunk, pelvis, and knees, simultaneously. The system works through the use of novel force-field algorithms that are modular and user-specific. The control uses an assist-as-needed strategy to apply forces on the user during regions of postural instability. The device also allows perturbations for postural reactive training. We have conducted several studies using healthy adult populations and pilot studies on patient groups including cerebral palsy, cerebellar ataxia, and spinal cord injury. We propose new training methods that incorporate motor learning theory and objective interventions for improving posture control. We identify novel methods to characterize posture in form of the “8-point star test”. This is to assess the postural workspace. We also demonstrate novel methods for functional training of posture and balance. Our results show that training with our robotic platforms can change the trunk kinematics. Specifically, healthy adults are able to translate the trunk further and rotate the trunk more anteriorly in the seated position. In the standing position, they can alter their reach strategy to maintain the upper trunk more vertically while reaching. Similarly, Cerebral Palsy patients improve their trunk translations, reaching workspace, and maintain a more vertical posture after training, in the seated position. Our results also showed that an Ataxia patient was able to improve their reaching workspace and trunk translations in the standing position. Finally, our results show that the robotic platforms can successfully reduce trunk and pelvis sway in spinal cord injury patients. The results of the pilot studies suggest that training with our robotic platforms and methods is beneficial in improving trunk control.

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the development of a mathematical model in order to study the control mechanisms of human upper body movement during walking. The upper body, which consists of the pelvis and thorax, is modeled as a chain of inverted pendulums with one degree of rotational freedom each. The base point of the model corresponds to the bony landmark of the sacrum, and can move, two-dimensionally, in a specified way. A control law is developed in order to ensure the stability of the two-link pendulum system about the upright position. The control law is based on Lyapunov's stability theory and contains feedforward and linear feedback components. It is shown that the feedforward element of the controller is essential for the system stability, while the feedback component heavily influences the pattern in which the two-link inverted pendulum system moves about the upright position. Comparing the simulation results with measured results obtained in the Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of Manitoba it is shown that the mathematical model can effectively duplicate the motion patterns of the thorax and pelvis of a human. The results of the comparison make it possible to use the proposed mathematical model as a conceptual model in order to study the involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) in the performance of skilled voluntary motion such as walking.

碩士<br>中原大學<br>工業與系統工程研究所<br>99<br>The purpose of this research is analyzing the human reliability of chemical truck filling process in a panel factory of optoelectronics industry.We will do site observation,interview, record the task step,and using HTA,SHERPA,HEART to calculate the human error probability.Otherwise we use HRA Event Tree to analyse chemical liquid leakage of the chemical truck filling. The result of Stripper truck filling shows weighing when the truck pass in and out the factory has a higher human error probability 0.036.The chemical liquid leakage probility is 0.002; The result of EL-MEA truck filling shows weighing when the truck pass in and out the factory also has a higher error probability 0.032.The chemical liquid leakage probility is 0.011.We must reduce the human error probability of these operation to improve the human reliability. This result can help to establish the error model to improve the operation procedure or the system of chemical truck filling process in panel factories.