Human factors and ergonomics

Today, virtual reality and augmented reality can allow people to interact with products and places in a very realistic way. In this direction, the use of immersive virtual tours (VTs) can improve the users' experience, their perceptions, attitudes and even intended behaviours as potential or actual consumers. The paper focuses on a traditional Italian cheese product and defines a transdisciplinary, multimodal approach where VT helps the remote customer experience based on a VT application to virtually visit a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese dairy, using cutting-edge virtual reality set-up. The paper describes how to create a virtual tour of industrial plants by mapping the main actions, from the storytelling definition, to the plant digitization, until the creation of the virtual, immersive and multimodal application using Unity3D. The VT combines visual experience with gesture recognition and audio stimulation, adding also olfactory cues, in order to create an interactive and realistic experience.

Keywords: Customer Experience , Multimodal approach , User-centered design , Virtual Reality , Virtual Tours

The growing diffusion of fashion e-commerce websites shows the appreciation by users, highlighting the importance of offering this service also to users with different disabilities. To this end, e-commerce should be not only accessible - implementing all the technical requirements for accessibility - but also usable, paying attention to the offered user experience. This study aims to investigate the current e-commerce usability considering visually impaired users' navigation experience and understand which aspects define a good usability level for this target. An expert analysis of a set of fashion e-commerce websites and user testing were conducted, considering five different market segment categories. The analysis highlighted a gap in the consideration of visually impaired users' navigation needs and style, as for instance non-uniformity of layout and page structure. All the findings have been structured in usability guidelines to favor the e-commerce usability improvement, with the goal of offering visually impaired users a better shopping experience.

Keywords: Branding , Disability and DUXU , Diversity in UX design , E-commerce usability , Usability guidelines , User experience , Visually impaired users

The success of a human-machine interface (HMI) heavily depends on its usability. An highly usable interface allows the user to more easily achieve his/her goals and in general have a better User eXperience (UX). In work environments, a structured and ready-to-use usability testing protocol can encourage companies to carry out this type of study and focus on UX from the early design phases. Even though numerous methods to test usability exist, industrial companies still have great difficulties to apply them and choose the best ones for the specific purposes. They should be guided into the analysis by a universal step-by-step approach, which helps also not experienced designers selecting the most reliable and useful methods among the available ones. In this direction, the paper proposes a structured protocol to focus on UX and guide companies in testing setup, execution and debriefing in an easy and quick way. Checklists are defined to help during user testing and assure its success. As a consequence, end users can be easily involved to give an added value in design problems identification. The novelty of this paper is the definition of a ready-to-use study protocol that can also be used by non-usability experts, in order to make them familiar with UX analysis and extend this practice also in industrial HMI design. As validation, the proposed protocol was applied to the design of interfaces for agricultural tractors during two different stages of the HMI redesign process.

Keywords: Eye-tracking in user experience research , HMI , Universal design , Usability , User experience , User testing

Collaborative robotics, or Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC), is a challenging topic characterized by multidisciplinary approaches. Many researchers are facing this innovative manufacturing system studying several aspects such as task allocation, facility layout problem and timing. Above all, one of the most important issues in collaborative robotics is the wellbeing of the operator collaborating with the robot system during the different phases of the process. The added value of a collaborative workplace respect to the manual and automatic workplaces is strictly correlated to a safe and ergonomic interaction between the operator and the robot. Indeed, the combination of robot and operator skills lead to a higher level of accuracy and flexibility. Thus, assessing operator's working conditions requires the acquisition, eventually in real time, of relevant parameters such as posture, movements, and interactive tasks. This may require the adoption of existing metrics proposed by standard evaluation guidelines, as well as the introduction of new or modified prescription to consider the presence of the robot. The ergonomics analysis in collaborative robotics is evaluated by considering both physical and cognitive aspects of the operator during the interaction with the robot. The research work aims to carry out a scientific bibliometric literature review (BLR) about the ergonomics analysis of collaborative workplaces, and to identify methods and tools for the physical and cognitive ergonomics assessment that can be adopted in collaborative robotics. The search has been accomplished using the Scopus database by means of a set of key words specifically defined to investigate the ergonomics in the collaborative robotics. The review provides a sharp classification, a critical analysis of the most relevant contributions in this field so that emerging trends for future development can be defined and discussed.

Keywords: Bibliometric literature review (blr) , Cognitive ergonomics , Human-robot interaction (hri) , Humanrobot collaboration (hrc) , Physical ergonomics

The design process of industrial products considers different aspects of the product lifecycle to make decisions about the functionality, manufacturability, usability, among other aspects related to the user interaction. Assembly sequence definition is an important phase of the product development process that is normally defined during the detailed design stage, and it is mainly based on skill and experience of manufacturing designers. The prospect to automatically identify possible assembly sequences at early stages of the design process, starting from contact or liaison information between components extracted from 3D CAD models would lead up to reduce time and costs, and would give interactive information for support designers during decision making activities. In this way, authors propose a computer application, so called Automatic Sequence Planner for Industrial Products (ASPIP), to automatically identify assembly sequences of an industrial product. The core of the application is based on an existent approach for Assembly Sequence Analysis, which is followed and presented step by step to enable the designer to create the assembly sequence. The tool enables the analysis of the liaison graph of the components of the product, which is automatically obtained from a kinematically stable CAD model, and automatically obtains a list of assembly sequences with at least one feasible sequence. The assembly sequence analysis of an industrial product is presented as a validation of the functionality of the application ASPIP.

Keywords: Assembly Modeling Liaisons , Assembly Sequence Analysis , Assembly Sequence Planning , Computer Aided Systems , Feasible Assembly Sequence

Underwater cultural heritage sites represent an attractive and exciting experience for diving tourists, even if often it is complicated for them to understand the significance and value of the remains that are usually strongly damaged and covered by the marine organisms. Thanks to the recent advancements in technologies that overcome these problems, augmented reality is nowadays possible even in such harsh conditions, opening new possibilities for enhancing the diver's experience. However, no user study has formally evaluated the usefulness and usability of augmented reality in open sea underwater environments. This paper presents two novel solutions for underwater augmented reality: a compact marker-based system for small areas, and a complex acoustic system for large areas. Both of them were deployed at an underwater cultural heritage site and evaluated by ten divers in experiments analyzing their perception and remembrance, interests, and user experience. For comparison, the same study was also performed with non-divers assessing the marker-based system on land. Results show that both systems allow divers to encounter new and exciting moments and provide valuable insights for underwater augmented reality applications.

Keywords: Augmented reality , cultural heritage , sensor fusion , underwater , user experience , user testing

This paper deals with collaborative robotics by highlighting the main issues linked to the interaction between humans and robots. A critical study of the standards in force on human-robot interaction and the current principles on workplace design for human-robot collaboration (HRC) are presented. The paper focuses on an anthropocentric paradigm in which the human becomes the core of the workplace in combination with the robot, and it presents a basis for designing workplaces through two key concepts: (i) the introduction of human and robot spaces as elementary spaces and (ii) the dynamic variations of the elementary spaces in shape, size and position. According to this paradigm, the limitations of a safety-based approach, introduced by the standards, are overcome by positioning the human and the robot inside the workplace and managing their interaction through the elementary spaces. The introduced concepts, in combination with the safety prescriptions, have been organised by means of a multi-level graph for driving the HRC design phase. The collaborative workplace is separated into sublevels. The main elements of a collaborative workplace are identified and their relationships presented by means of digraphs.

Keywords: Anthropocentric approach , Collaborative environment , Digraph , Graph theory , Human-robot collaboration

A fast and objective evaluation of kinematic characteristics of an elite athlete's gesture is necessary for refining her/his performance. When the athlete has a reduced capacity and/or reliability of expression, as in the case of subjects with intellectual impairment, objective performance analyses are even more important. In this work, we present a preliminary study regarding performance analysis on sprint tests performed by elite athletes with intellectual impairment, wearing an inertial sensor at the bottom end of their vertebral column. In particular, we compare three different inertial-based algorithms for automatic detection of temporal events, in steady-state velocity phase, with respect to the benchmark values obtained through video analysis.

Keywords: functional sports assessment , inertial sensors , intellectual impairment , kinematic parameters , sprint test

Excessive values of force on L5/S1 joint can cause work-related musculoskeletal disorders, such as low back pain. Currently, the reference solution for estimating such variables is the combination of optoelectronic system and force platform, used for calculating the bottom up inverse dynamics in laboratory settings. Here we propose and validate a novel, completely wearable solution, composed by twelve inertial measurement units and pressure insole sensors. We validate the wearable solution with respect to the output of the reference solution, with data collected simultaneously on a subject performing lifting and releasing tasks with two different loads. The results are encouraging towards the use of the wearable methodology, considering the great impact of such a solution in a real manufacturing scenario.

Keywords: biomechanical loads , ergonomics , motion analysis , occupational disease , wearable system

People with intellectual impairment show low performances in motor control, especially in complex movements. Performance analysis methods, based on wearable inertial sensor, are often used in typical developed swimmers but have never been used in swimmers with intellectual impairment, for whom the use of quantitative systems would be even more important. This paper presents a case study conducted on freestyle swimmers from the functional evaluation project of the Italian Sport Federation for athletes with Intellectual Impairment (FISDIR). The tests were conducted by five Italian elite swimmers with intellectual impairment using a structured experimental protocol which foresees an inertial sensor located on the wrist. Key freestyle temporal and kinematic parameters were assessed. A high-speed camera was used as a benchmark to validate the inertial-based parameters. The preliminary results indicate that the proposed inertial-based approach correlates over 90% with the performance indices obtained with the camera-based approach, and therefore it could represent a useful tool for monitoring and improving the training.

Keywords: intellectual impairment , performance analysis , sports biomechanics , swimming , wearable inertial sensor

This paper presents an innovative safety training method based on digital ergonomics simulations and serious games, which are games that focus on education. Digital ergonomics is intended to disseminate the culture of safety among workers, while serious games are used to train the operators on specific safety procedures and verify their skills. The results of the experimentation in a real industrial environment showed that, compared to the traditional training methodology, multimedia contents and quantitative ergonomic analyses improve the level of attention and the awareness of the workers about their own safety. However, serious games turned out to be promising training tools with regard to standard operating procedures that are usually difficult or dangerous to simulate in a real working scenario without stopping production. Practitioner summary: Digital ergonomics and serious games are used to disseminate the culture of safety among the workers and for safety training. Our results show that the proposed methodology improves the level of attention and provides a better feedback about the actual skills of the workers than the standard educational strategies. Abbreviations:.

Keywords: Digital humans , occupational safety , serious games , training methods

In physical rehabilitation, motion capture solutions are well-known but not as widespread as they could be. The main limit to their diffusion is not related to cost or usability but to the fact that the data generated when tracking a person must be elaborated according to the specific context and aim. This paper proposes a solution including customized motion capture and data elaboration with the aim of supporting medical personnel in the assessment of spinal cord-injured (SCI) patients using a wheelchair. The configuration of the full-body motion capturing system is based on an asymmetric 3 Microsoft Kinect v2 sensor layout that provides a path of up to 6 m, which is required to properly track the wheelchair. Data elaboration is focused on the automatic recognition of the pushing cycles and on plotting any kinematic parameter that may be interesting in the assessment. Five movements have been considered to evaluate the wheelchair propulsion: the humeral elevation, the horizontal abduction of the humerus, the humeral rotation, the elbow flexion and the trunk extension along the sagittal plane. More than 60 volunteers with a spinal cord injury were enrolled for testing the solution. To evaluate the reliability of the data computed with SCI APPlication (APP) for the pushing cycle analysis, the patients were subdivided in four groups according to the level of the spinal cord injury (i.e., high paraplegia, low paraplegia, C7 tetraplegia and C6 tetraplegia). For each group, the average value and the standard deviation were computed and a comparison with similar acquisitions performed with a high-end solution is shown. The measurements computed by the SCI-APP show a good reliability for analyzing the movements of SCI patients' propulsion wheelchair.

Keywords: Automatic pushing analysis , Markerless motion capture , RGB-D sensors , SCI patients

Motion capture (Mocap) is applied to motor rehabilitation of patients recovering from a trauma, a surgery, or other impairing conditions. Some rehabilitation exercises are easily tracked with low-cost technologies and a simple Mocap setup, while some others are extremely hard to track because they imply small movements and require high accuracy. In these last cases, the obvious solution is to use high performing motion tracking systems, but these devices are generally too expensive in the rehabilitation context. The aim of this paper is to provide a Mocap solution suitable for any kind of exercise but still based on low-cost sensors. This result can be reached embedding some artificial intelligence (AI), in particular a convolutional neural network (CNN), to gather a better outcome from the optical acquisition. The paper provides a methodology including the way to perform patient's tracking and to elaborate the data from infra-red sensors and from the red, green, blue (RGB) cameras in order to create a user-friendly application for physiotherapists. The approach has been tested with a known complex case concerning the rehabilitation of shoulders. The proposed solution succeeded in detecting small movements and incorrect patient behavior, as for instance, a compensatory elevation of the scapula during the lateral abduction of the arm. The approach evaluated by medical personnel provided good results and encouraged its application in different kinds of rehabilitation practices as well as in different fields where low-cost Mocap could be introduced.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence , Engineering informatics , Human computer interfaces/Interactions

This chapter presents an overview of the virtual humans/digital human models (DHMs) that can be considered along the design and manufacturing processes. It first introduces a brief historical description, as well as the main problems to be faced and the potential of such models. Then, the chapter presents a taxonomy that subdivides DHMs into five main categories, highlighting the different levels of human model details and their applications. The integration of DHMs with virtual/augmented reality technology and motion capture systems is also considered respectively to improve the level of interaction and realism within the virtual environment and to drive the virtual human and facilitate the evaluation of comfort and prediction of injuries that could rise when executing a task. The chapter also describes applicative examples of each type of DHM for both design and manufacturing.

Keywords: Augmented reality technology , Digital human models , Manufacturing processes , Motion capture systems , System design , Virtual human models , Virtual reality technology

Mobile devices and laptops are the main ICT tools to exchange information among people in the world. All the applications are designed by following a specific interaction style based either touchscreen or mouse and keyboard, which can be performed only with detailed movements of hands and fingers. Traditional interaction becomes difficult for elderly who have diseases limiting the hand motor skills, such as arthritis and brain stroke. The use of simple air gestures can be adopted as alternative interaction style to interact with smartphones, tablets and laptops. The aim of this research work is the development of an application that allows text writing using air gestures for people with limited hand motor skills. The application embeds several computer vision algorithms and convolutional neural networks software modules to detect and drawn alphanumeric characters and recognizing them using both mobile devices and laptops. The preliminary results obtained show that the approach is robust, and it can easily detect the alphanumeric characters written with the movement of the wrist..

Keywords: Elderly , Hand Motor Skills , OpenPose , TesserAct-OCR.

Within the era of smart factories, concerning the ergonomics related to production processes, the Digital Twin (DT) is the key to set up novel models for monitoring the performance of manual work activities, which are able to provide results in near real time and to support the decision-making process for improving the working conditions. This paper aims to propose a methodological framework that, by implementing a human DT, and supports the monitoring and the decision making regarding the ergonomics performances of manual production lines. A case study, carried out in a laboratory, is presented for demonstrating the applicability and the effectiveness of the proposed framework. The results show how it is possible to identify the operational issues of a manual workstation and how it is possible to propose and test improving solutions.

Keywords: Digital Twin , Ergonomics , Manufacturing , Production process

Human-centered design is based on the satisfaction of the user needs mainly related to performances, interaction, usability, accessibility, and visibility issues. However, the quality of the interaction process is hidden and usually difficult to detect. The paper proposes a multi-disciplinary assessment tool for the evaluation of the human-machine interaction, based on the collection of physiological data and anthropometrical performance data. Such a method can be used both within on-field tests and virtual simulations, supporting the spread of digital approaches in industry. The methodology allows objectifying how users interact with machine or interface items, thanks to the collection of the users' performance during task execution, the digitalization of collected data, and the evaluation of users' physical and mental workload. Such a system has been applied to an industrial case study focusing on agricultural machinery driving and control to support the system re-design in terms of interface features, commands' location and grouping, and positioning of additional devices.

Keywords: Digital factory , Ergonomics , Human factors , Human-centered design , Human-machine interaction

LIFE MONZA project (Methodologies fOr Noise low emission Zones introduction And management) aims at defining an easy-replicable method for the identification and management of the Noise Low Emission Zones (Noise LEZ), urban areas subject to traffic restrictions, usually introduced in order to ensure compliance with the air pollutants limit values, prescribed by the European Directive on ambient air quality 2008/50/EC, whose impacts and potential benefits regarding noise issues have been taken into account, tested and analysed in a pilot area of the city of Monza, located in North Italy. Noise LEZ has been established in Libertà district, introducing infrastructural interventions carried out by the municipality (top-down actions) and encouraging an active involvement of the citizens, in the definition of a more sustainable lifestyle (bottom-up actions). The analysis of potential effects on noise reduction due to the Noise LEZ can contribute to the implementation of the EU Directive 2002/49/EC, related to the assessment and management of environmental noise (Environmental Noise Directive – END), which introduces noise action plans, designed to manage noise issues and their effects, suggesting the adoption of urban and mobility planning. Noise and air quality monitoring activities have been carried out in pilot area in ante and post-operam conditions. The monitoring methods, the measurement techniques, the analysis procedures, able to describe the effects due to Noise LEZ establishment, for both the main environmental issues are reported in this paper, as proposals to be applied in other different contexts. Results of monitoring activities highlight a reduction of noise, in term of sound pressure levels, between ante and post-operam, during the day and particularly during the night period, and it is essentially due to the interventions realised. The effect of the Noise LEZ on air pollution seems to be negligible for combustion related pollutant and carbon fractions of PM, due both to the moderate spatial effects of the measures undertaken and confounding factors due to concomitant emission sources and meteorology.

Keywords: Air quality monitoring system , Bottom-up approach , Environmental noise , Low emission zone , Noise monitoring system , Top-down approach , Urban planning

The use of modeling and ergonomic analysis software is a widespread practice in the industrial sector to effectively improve the operator's well-being and operating comfort within the workplace. In this context, the paper proposes a Mixed Reality system for the ergonomic assessment of industrial workstations. Specifically, the proposed system integrates motion capture tools, a head-mounted display device, and ergonomic analysis software to simulate and analyse the operations to be carried out within a virtual workplace where some physical components, with which the operator interact, are prototyped through 3D printing technology in order to make the simulation as realistic as possible. The proposed Mixed Reality system in fact increases the realism of the simulation and improves the effectiveness of the ergonomics analysis thanks to the haptic feedback that the user perceives when manipulating the physical objects.

Keywords: Ergonomics , Industry 4.0 , Mixed Reality , Rapid prototyping

In the context of Industry 4.0, Augmented Reality occupies an important role thanks to its unique capability to enhance the perception of the real world with virtual information. Taking advantage of this capability, the paper presents a handheld mobile Augmented Reality tool that supports manufacturing and production workers and engineers to easily check on-site the ongoing operations carried out in the manufacturing environment for the tubing and piping assembly. The tool runs on a modern tablet and performs an augmented reality visualization of the 3D models, as defined in the project plan, on the corresponding physical objects. In this manner the user can easily check the presence of assembly errors or detect design discrepancies. The level of acceptance of the proposed handheld mobile Augmented Reality tool has been assessed by means of a preliminary test carried out with representative users on a real case study. Results from the experiment are presented and discussed in the paper.

Keywords: Google ARCore , Industrial augmented reality , Industry 4.0 , Mobile augmented reality , Usability