Determination of comfortable position for tractor Driver's hands based on dynamic load

Kuta, Łukasz; Stopa, Roman; Szyjewicz, Daniel; Komarnicki, Przemysław

doi:10.1016/j.ergon.2019.102866

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…In [55], the results demonstrated the inappropriateness of the international standards. Furthermore, anthropometric features were used by Kuta et al [56] as a means to improve safety through the adaptation of a steering panel. In particular, they measured the dynamic load of various body parts, such as the arms, wrists and forearms with surface electromyography by taking into account the steering column and the angle that is formed between the arm and the forearm.…”

Section: Tractormentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review on Ergonomics in Agriculture. Part II: Mechanized Operations

2020

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Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have long been recognized as the most common risks that operation of agricultural machineries poses, thus, undermining the ability to labor and quality of life. The purpose of this investigation was to thoroughly review the recent scholarly literature on ergonomics in agricultural mechanized operations; Methods: Electronic database research over the last ten years was conducted based on specific inclusion criteria. Furthermore, an assessment of the methodological quality and strength of evidence of potential risk factors causing MSDs was performed; Results: The results demonstrated that ergonomics in agriculture is an interdisciplinary topic and concerns both developed and developing countries. The machines with driving seats seem to be associated with painful disorders of the low back, while handheld machines with disorders of the upper extremities. The main roots of these disorders are the whole-body vibration (WBV) and hand-arm transmitted vibration (HATV). However, personal characteristics, awkward postures, mechanical shocks and seat discomfort were also recognized to cause MSDs; Conclusions: The present ergonomic interventions aim mainly at damping of vibrations and improving the comfort of operator. Nevertheless, more collaborative efforts among physicians, ergonomists, engineers and manufacturers are required in terms of both creating new ergonomic technologies and increasing the awareness of workers for the involved risk factors.

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Section: Tractormentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review on Ergonomics in Agriculture. Part II: Mechanized Operations

2020

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“…%MVC is obtained as the ratio of the RMS signal for the muscle under contraction in real time to the signal for muscle under maximum contraction measured without any constraints or load, which represents muscular involvements for a given operation [ 11 ]. EMG also enables the identification of comfort level and body postures for a given operation [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Agricultural mechanization and automation have increased significantly in recent decades, where intensified field operations are carried out using tractors or tractor-driven machinery systems. However, the study of the safety and ergonomics of tractor operators has not improved and requires critical attention [ 13 ]. Tractor or tractor-driven machinery operates in tough and rugged conditions and therefore requires highly variable and redundant actuation forces compared to other automobiles [ 22 , 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tractor or tractor-driven machinery operates in tough and rugged conditions and therefore requires highly variable and redundant actuation forces compared to other automobiles [ 22 , 23 ]. Operators are also subjected to prolonged and redundant vibration and shock exposures at high frequencies and magnitudes that can be hazardous to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), lower back pain and other cardiovascular problems [ 13 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Such problems are further complemented by inappropriate workspace designs, limited ergonomic upgradations, awkward operating postures, prolonged working hours, repeated body movements, and over-exertions that eventually risk work-time loss, increased costs, and injuries [ 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These studies provided overall assessments of operator health and level of exertions during operation but did not quantify the muscular fatigue or loads. EMG was recently deployed to identify comfortable operator hand positions during tractor operations [ 13 ]. The elbow angle of 100° and inclination of the steering column against the horizontal plane of 50° was identified as the most comfortable setting for upper limbs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Workload Assessment of Tractor Operations with Ergonomic Transducers and Machine Learning Techniques

Hota

Tewari

Chandel

2023

Sensors

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Dynamic muscular workload assessments of tractor operators are rarely studied or documented, which is critical to improving their performance efficiency and safety. A study was conducted to assess and model dynamic load on muscles, physiological variations, and discomfort of the tractor operators arriving from the repeated clutch and brake operations using wearable non-invasive ergonomic transducers and data-run techniques. Nineteen licensed tractor operators operated three different tractor types of varying power ranges at three operating speeds (4–5 km/h), and on two common operating surfaces (tarmacadam and farm roads). During these operations, ergonomic transducers were utilized to capture the load on foot muscles (gastrocnemius right [GR] and soleus right [SR] for brake operation and gastrocnemius left [GL], and soleus left [SL] for clutch operation) using electromyography (EMG). Forces exerted by the feet during brake and clutch operations were measured using a custom-developed foot transducer. During the process, heart rate (HR) and oxygen consumption rates (OCR) were also measured using HR monitor and K4b2 systems, and energy expenditure rate (EER) was determined using empirical equation. Post-tractor operation cycle, an overall discomfort rating (ODR) for that operation was manually recorded on a 10-point psychophysical scale. EMG-based maximum volumetric contraction (%MVC) measurements revealed higher strain on GR (%MVC = 43%), GL (%MVC = 38%), and SR (%MVC = 41%) muscles which in normal conditions should be below 30%. The clutch and brake actuation forces were recorded in the ranges of 90–312 N and 105–332 N, respectively and were significantly affected by the operating speed, tractor type, and operating surface (p < 0.05). EERs of the operators were measured in the moderate-heavy to heavy ranges (9–24 kJ/min) during the course of trials, suggesting the need to refine existing clutch and brake system designs. Average operator ODR responses indicated 7.8% operations in light, 48.5% in light-moderate, 25.2% in moderate, 10.7% in moderate-high, and 4.9% operations in high discomfort categories. When evaluated for the possibility of minimizing the number of transducers for physical workload assessment, EER showed moderate-high correlations with the EMG signals (rGR = 0.78, rGL = 0.75, rSR = 0.68, rSL = 0.66). Similarly, actuation forces had higher correlations with EMG signals for all the selected muscles (r = 0.70–0.87), suggesting the use of simpler transducers for effective operator workload assessment. As a means to minimize subjectivity in ODR responses, machine learning algorithms, including K-nearest neighbor (KNN), random forest classifier (RFC), and support vector machine (SVM), predicted the ODR using body mass index (BMI), HR, EER, and EMG at high accuracies of 87–97%, with RFC being the most accurate. Such high-throughput and data-run ergonomic evaluations can be instrumental in reconsidering workplace designs and better fits for end-users in terms of agricultural tractors and machinery systems.

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Biomechanics‐based study of muscle activation under different driving conditions for Chinese percentiles

Li,

Chen

et al. 2024

Hum Ftrs & Erg Mfg Svc

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In this paper, we determined the adjustment levels of the human–machine layout under the preferred driving posture for individuals with different body sizes. We also comparatively analyzed the maximum activation levels of various muscles under straight‐line driving and steering conditions. To increase the accuracy of the results, AnyBody biomechanics software was used to establish a human skeletal muscle mechanics model, which we analyzed for consistency with rig test results. The results showed that people with larger body sizes preferred a driving position with the seat reclined back. Steered driving was associated with a significant (p < .05) increase in the maximum activation of the wrist extensors, serratus anterior, deltoid, and triceps brachii, which are the main force‐generating muscle groups for steered driving, compared with straight driving. Moreover, the measured and simulated results of maximum muscle activation were relatively consistent, with the error between them within a 15% margin. In summary, this study explored the relationship between different driving conditions and preferred driving postures from a biomechanical perspective. A combined experimental and simulation approach was adopted to ensure the reliability of the findings. The insights from this study can inform ergonomic considerations for the comfort and health of Chinese drivers with varying physical characteristics.

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Determination of comfortable position for tractor Driver's hands based on dynamic load

Cited by 14 publications

References 24 publications

A Review on Ergonomics in Agriculture. Part II: Mechanized Operations

A Review on Ergonomics in Agriculture. Part II: Mechanized Operations

Workload Assessment of Tractor Operations with Ergonomic Transducers and Machine Learning Techniques

Biomechanics‐based study of muscle activation under different driving conditions for Chinese percentiles

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