NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF
INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
PGDIE-42
Industrial Engineering
Assignment on Research
Paper:-
Presented By: -
PANKAJ KUMAR MOHLI
PGDIE 42
Roll NO. 56
Ergonomics
is the science of maximizing the comfort, efficiency, and safety of objects and
environments for their users. You can think of the shaft of a hammer, the
interface in a cockpit, and the shape of a computer mouse. Heating and lighting
in a work environment, noise levels, repetitive actions, etc. are also
important factors in the field of ergonomics. Health aspects must be taken into
account. Efficiently using different data streams, combining all relevant
factors can be easily accomplished by using The Observer® XT: the professional
software tool for data collection, analysis, and presentation. With The
Observer XT you can score behavior live and record video files simultaneously
to log events at a later stage in more detail and at the speed of your choice.
People, products, and surroundings
To improve
the fit between people, products, and surroundings, knowledge of anatomy,
physiology, and psychology is applied to solve very diverse issues. The
challenge in ergonomics research is thus to combine relevant data and
subsequently deduce practical recommendations for designers, producers, and
users involved. In The Observer XT you exactly see what happens, because all
relevant data streams play in sync. Instantly, cause and effect are revealed.
Human-computer interaction
In recent
decades, the use of computers in an office environment has increased
exceptionally. This intensive use means that many more employees are exposed to
potential problems associated with computer-based work. Factors that could be
critical are the amount of repetitive tasks, the periods of work without
sufficient breaks, too much computer screen work per day, an excessive
workload, and bad posture. The Observer XT enables you to monitor the user’s
behavior, which is helpful when trying to solve problems occurring frequently
in an office environment.
Factory work
The
influence of environmental factors on factory workers is obvious. For instance,
assembling cars is inextricably linked to a large amount of repetitive tasks.
As a researcher, you may like to know the frequency of these behaviors.The
Observer XT project in which researchers recorded and coded factory work.
The observer
xt
The Observer
XT facilitates research in Ergonomics. In The Observer XT you can see, for
example, how various tasks contribute to the average physical load, or for how
long and how many times workers have to deal with high temperatures. The
Observer XT offers you frequencies and durations of behaviors, which enables
you to improve the fit between people, products, and surroundings. You can also
detect patterns in the structure of behavior.
The case study: rsi research
The case
study concerns an experimental setup designed for systematic observation of
movements of wrist, elbow and shoulder joints that are liable to cause
repetitive strain injury (RSI).
Collect data
In this case
study, researchers positioned the video camera next to the worker at a car
assembly plant, and set up a DAQ system to measure Heart Rate Varia-bility and
respiration (external data). HRV, for example, is an important indicator of increased
mental workload, induced by a difficult task.
Coding behaviors
In this
specific project, researchers coded wrist deviation, hand location, elbow
flexion, shoulder abduction, and much more. With The Observer XT, it is easy to
specify all behaviors, tasks, and modifiers in a coding scheme before or during
observing. You can efficiently view and score one, two, or multiple video
recordings.
Import external data
After
observing one of the test participants, the external data was imported into The
Observer XT. Here, only physiological data was used, but it is also possible to
import other data streams.
Synchronize data
To find
cause and effect, the researchers synchronized the external data with the
observations and started (additional) coding.
Select and analyze your data
In this
phase, the researchers specified the relevant parts for analysis by filtering
appropriate independent variables and behaviors. The measurements gave great
insight into the elbow, wrist, and hand movements in relation to efficiency,
comfort, and safety of the work environment.
Export data
For
additional calculations and analysis, The Observer XT contains the option to
export raw results into a spreadsheet or statistics program, such as SPSS®. In
this project, the data was adjusted to ease the transfer in to another program.
Presentation of results
An Episode
Selection, one of many presentation options, contains a list of important
events based on the content of the data. Characteristics of the events are part
of this selection, but also (external) data files and video file references. In
this case study, the researchers chose to select a series of events in which
the physical load was extremely high. It was easy for them to combine video fragments
and thus to create an original highlights video clip, which illustrated
important outcomes.
Other applications
Behavior and eye movements
Consider
taking eye movements into account to take your research to another level. The
Observer XT is the most suitable program for this: it enables you to integrate
logged behavior with eye movements.
Live observations
Observations
can easily be carried out on-site, using a handheld computer with Pocket
Observerâ„¢. This mobile solution can, for example, be used to observe road
workers: code behaviors such as ‘preparation’, ‘smoothing the surface’, and
‘laying down pavement’.
The OWAS method
The physical
workload can be assessed using the Ovako Working-posture Analysis System
(OWAS). Combine the OWAS method with The Observe XT. Just create a
configuration file with the codes for the defined working postures and observe
live using a handheld, or play and code the video afterwards.
Capture Human-Computer Interaction
HCI research
will also benefit from The Observer XT’s qualities. The program allows you to
capture the user’s computer screen and easily integrate the images with other
data. For the fully automatic capturing of Human-Computer Interaction, uLogâ„¢ is
the ideal software tool. You can log mouse movement, scrolling, keystrokes,
resizing of windows, pop-ups, and much more. uLog is conveniently integrated in
The Observer XT, which offers easy configuration, synchronization with video
files, and import of uLog data.
Research articles illustrating the
use of the observer xt and pocket observer for ergonomics research
â–ª Bell J.;
Stigant M. (2008). Validation of a fibre-optic goniometer system to investigate
the relationship between sedentary work and low back pain. International
Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 38(1), 934-941.
â–ª Burdorf,
A.; Windhorst, J.; Beek, A.J. van der; Molen, H. van der; Swuste, P.H.J.J.
(2007) . The effect of mechanised equipment on physical load among road workers
and floor layers in the construction industry. International Journal of
Industrial Ergonomics, 37, 133-143.
â–ª Grootjen,
M.; Neerincx, M.A.; & Weert, van, J.C.M. (2006). Task based interpretation
of operator state information for adaptive support. ACI/HFES 2006, San
Francisco.
â–ª Kuijer W,
Brouwer S, Reneman MF, Dijkstra PU, Groothoff JW, Schellekens JM,
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