Applied ergonomics
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Mobile input device type, texting style and screen size influence upper extremity and trapezius muscle activity, and cervical posture while texting.
This study aimed to determine the effects of input device type, texting style, and screen size on upper extremity and trapezius muscle activity and cervical posture during a short texting task in college students. Users of a physical keypad produced greater thumb, finger flexor, and wrist extensor muscle activity than when texting with a touch screen device of similar dimensions. ⋯ There was also a trend for greater finger flexor, wrist extensor, and trapezius muscle activity as touch screen size increased, and for greater cervical flexion, although mean differences for cervical flexion were small. Future research can help inform whether the ergonomic stressors observed during texting are associated with musculoskeletal disorder risk.
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Accurate prediction of driving behaviour is essential for an active safety system to ensure driver safety. A model for predicting lane-changing behaviour is developed from the results of naturalistic on-road experiment for use in a lane-changing assistance system. Lane changing intent time window is determined via visual characteristics extraction of rearview mirrors. ⋯ The lane-change-intent time window is approximately 5 s long, depending on the subjects. The proposed model can accurately predict drivers' lane changing behaviour for at least 1.5 s in advance. The accuracy and time series characteristics of the model are superior to the use of turn signals in predicting lane-changing behaviour.