Biomechanical aspects of seating comfort in vehicle seating package engineering

In this paper, problems are described which are related to the ergonomic assessment of vehicle package design in vehicle systems engineering. The traditional approach, using questionnaire techniques for a subjective assessment of comfort related to package design, is compared to a biomechanical approach. An example is given for ingress design. The biomechanical approach is based upon objective postural data. The experimental setup for the study is described and methods used for the biomechanical analysis are explained. Because the biomechanic assessment requires not only a complex experimental setup but also time consuming data processing, a systematic reduction and preparation of biomechanic data for classification with an Artificial Neural Network significantly improves the economy of the biomechanical method.

Awesome foursome? The compatibility of situation awareness across drivers, riders, cyclists, and pedestrians

Collisions between distinct road users (e.g. drivers and motorcyclists) make a substantial contribution to the road trauma burden. Although evidence suggests distinct road users interpret the same road situations differently, it is not clear how road users’ situation awareness differs, nor is it clear which differences might lead to conflicts. This article presents the findings from an on-road study which examined driver, cyclist, motorcyclist and pedestrian situation awareness at intersections. The findings suggest that situation awareness at intersection is markedly different across the four road user groups studied, and that some of these differences may create conflicts between the different road users. The findings also suggest that the causes of the differences identified relate to road design and road user experience. In closing, the key role of road design and training in supporting safe interactions between distinct road users is discussed.

Waiting for warning: Driver Situation awareness at rural rail level crossings

Driver behaviour at rail level crossings represents a key area for further research. This paper describes an on-road study comparing novice and experienced driver situation awareness at rural rail level crossings. Participants provided verbal protocols while driving a pre-determined rural route incorporating ten rail level crossings. Driver situation awareness was assessed using a network analysis approach. The analysis revealed key differences between novice and experienced drivers' situation awareness. In particular, the novice drivers seemed to be more reliant on rail level crossing warnings and their situation awareness was less focussed on the environment outside of the rail level crossing. In closing, the implications for rail level crossing safety are discussed.

Vote with your feet : hyperlocal polling for urban screens

Vote with Your Feet is a hyperlocal polling tool for urban screens that lets users express their opinion on current affairs. Similar to vox populi interviews on TV, it is meant to reflect the mindset of the community and its diversity. It shows one Yes/No question at a time and lets the user vote by stepping with their foot on one of two physical buttons. By not only displaying the local but also national results (taken from newspaper polls or TV news), it creates a sense of place and can spark offline conversations as well as making people think about their own opinion. As a tangible media installation that bridges physical and digital urban layers, the project empowers citizens and facilitates a bottom-up approach in terms of stimulating opinions and decision making (rather than broadcasting or automating). In a second iteration of the design, we want to encourage users to submit their own questions.

What roles do team climate, roster control, and work life conflict play in shiftworkers’ fatigue longitudinally?

The study aimed to examine shiftworkers fatigue and the longitudinal relationships that impact on fatigue such as team climate, work life conflict, control of shifts and shift type in shift working nurses. We used a quantitative survey methodology and analysed data with a moderated hierarchical multiple regression. After matching across two time periods 18 months apart, the sample consisted of 166 nurses from one Australian hospital. Of these nurses, 61 worked two rotating day shifts (morning & afternoon/evening) and 105 were rotating shiftworkers who worked three shifts (morning afternoon/evening and nights). The findings suggest that control over shift scheduling can have significant effects on fatigue for both two-shift and three-shift workers. A significant negative relationship between positive team climate and fatigue was moderated by shift type. At both Time 1 and Time 2, work life conflict was the strongest predictor of concurrent fatigue, but over time it was not.

Exchanging data between Digital Human Modelling systems : a review of data formats

Digital human modeling (DHM) systems underwent significant development within the last years. They achieved constantly growing importance in the field of ergonomic workplace design, product development, product usability, ergonomic research, ergonomic education, audiovisual marketing and the entertainment industry. They help to design ergonomic products as well as healthy and safe socio-technical work systems. In the domain of scientific DHM systems, no industry specific standard interfaces are defined which could facilitate the exchange of 3D solid body data, anthropometric data or motion data. The focus of this article is to provide an overview of requirements for a reliable data exchange between different DHM systems in order to identify suitable file formats. Examples from the literature are discussed in detail. Methods: As a first step a literature review is conducted on existing studies and file formats for exchanging data between different DHM systems. The found file formats can be structured into different categories: static 3D solid body data exchange, anthropometric data exchange, motion data exchange and comprehensive data exchange. Each file format is discussed and advantages as well as disadvantages for the DHM context are pointed out. Case studies are furthermore presented, which show first approaches to exchange data between DHM systems. Lessons learnt are shortly summarized. Results: A selection of suitable file formats for data exchange between DHM systems is determined from the literature review.

Exploring schema-driven differences in situation awareness between road users : an on-road study of driver, cyclist and motorcyclist situation awareness

Collisions between different road users make a substantial contribution to road trauma. Although evidence suggests that different road users interpret the same road situations differently, it is not clear how road users' situation awareness differs, nor is it clear which differences might lead to conflicts. This article presents the findings from an on-road study conducted to examine driver, motorcyclist and cyclist situation awareness in different road environments. The findings suggest that, in addition to minor differences in the structure of different road users' situation awareness (i.e. amount of information and how it is integrated), the actual content of situation awareness in terms of road user schemata, the resulting interaction with the world and the information underpinning situation awareness is markedly different. Further examination indicates that the differences are likely to be compatible along arterial roads, shopping strips and at roundabouts, but that they may create conflicts between different road users at intersections. Interventions designed to support compatible situation awareness and behaviour between different road users are discussed. Practitioner Summary: Incompatible situation awareness plays a key role in collisions between different road users (e.g. drivers and motorcyclists). This on-road study examined situation awareness in drivers, motorcyclists and cyclists, identifying the key differences and potential conflicts that arise. The findings are used to propose interventions designed to enhance the compatibility of situation awareness between road users.

Artefact and iteration : circular entanglements

In this workshop proposal I discuss a case study physical computing environment named Talk2Me. This work was exhibited in February 2006 at The Block, Brisbane as an interactive installation in the early stages of its development. The major artefact in this work is a 10 metre wide X 3 metre high light-permeable white dome. There are other technologies and artefacts contained within the dome that make up this interactive environment. The dome artefact has impacted heavily on the design process, including shaping the types of interactions involved, the kinds of technologies employed, and the choice of other artefacts. In this workshop paper, I chart some of the various iterations Talk2Me has undergone in the design process.

"Show me, how does it look now" : remote help-giving in collaborative design

This paper examines the role of visual information in a remote help-giving situation involving the collaborative physical task of designing a prototype remote control. We analyze a set of video recordings captured within an experimental setting. Our analysis shows that using gestures and relevant artefacts and by projecting activities on the camera, participants were able to discuss several design-related issues. The results indicate that with a limited camera view (mainly faces and shoulders), participants' conversations were centered at the physical prototype that they were designing. The socially organized use of our experimental setting provides some key implications for designing future remote collaborative systems.

Organizational probes : exploring playful interactions in work environment

Playfulness, with non-intrusive elements, can be considered a useful resource for enhancing social awareness and community building within work organizations. Taking inspirations from the cultural probes approach, we developed organizational probes as a set of investigation tools that could provide useful information about employees’ everyday playful experiences within their work organizations. In an academic work environment, we applied our organizational probes over a period of three weeks. Based on the collected data we developed two design concepts for playful technologies in work environments.

Structures of life : the role of molecular structures in scientists' work

The visual and multidimensional representations like images and graphical structures related to biology provide great insights into understanding the complexities of different organisms. Especially, life scientists use different representations of molecular structures to answer biological questions and to better understand cellular processes. Combining results from two field studies, we explore the role of molecular structures in life scientists’ current work from a humanfactors perspective. Our main conclusion is that different representations of molecular structures, due to their visual nature, are important for supporting collaboration, constructing new knowledge and supporting scientists’ professional activities in general.

Police officer in-vehicle discomfort : appointments carriage method and vehicle seat features

Musculoskeletal pain is commonly reported by police officers. A potential cause of officer discomfort is a mismatch between vehicle seats and the method used for carrying appointments. Twenty-five police officers rated their discomfort while seated in: (1) a standard police vehicle seat, and (2) a vehicle seat custom-designed for police use. Discomfort was recorded in both seats while wearing police appointments on: (1) a traditional appointments belt, and (2) a load-bearing vest / belt combination (LBV). Sitting in the standard vehicle seat and carrying appointments on a traditional appointments belt were both associated with significantly elevated discomfort. Four vehicle seat features were most implicated as contributing to discomfort: back rest bolster prominence; lumbar region support; seat cushion width; and seat cushion bolster depth. Authorising the carriage of appointments using a LBV is a lower cost solution with potential to reduce officer discomfort. Furthermore, the introduction of custom-designed vehicle seats should be considered.

Exploring mediated interactions : a design exercise

With the emergence of personal and ubiquitous computing systems in the last decade, interaction designers have started designing products by employing quality oriented aspects such as user experience, playfulness, enchantment and others. In order to explore novel forms of mediated interactions, designers need to focus beyond the basic user requirements and usability issues. We present a procedure and results of a design exercise that we carried out with students of a master's course on Visual Design. Our intention was to explore new forms of mediated interaction by using a specific design exercise. We provide the details of the resulted design concepts and discuss the usefulness of our design exercise.