Human Factors Approaches to the Design of Tools and Non-Invasive Treatments for Repetitive Strain Injuries

重复性劳损工具设计和非侵入性治疗的人为因素方法

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-03632
• 负责人: Oliver, Michele
• 金额: $ 1.6万
• 依托单位: University of Guelph
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=661189
• 关键词: Human; Factors; Approaches; Design; Tools

The goal of this proposal is the development of human factors approaches to the design of tools and non-invasive treatments for repetitive strain injuries. The first research objective will use my new 6 DOF heavy mobile equipment simulator (funded using NSERC RTI 1 and Accelerator grants) housed in my newly expanded motion capture laboratory. The simulator makes use of our extensive library of field based vibration profiles to drive a hexapod robotic platform while an operator manipulates joystick controllers. We have published widely in this area and have amassed one of the most diverse catalogs in the world of off-road 6 DOF vehicle vibration field profiles. In order to best mimic actual working conditions, the simulator incorporates visual as well as haptic feedback such as would be seen and felt in an operating piece of heavy, mobile machinery. Accelerator funds were also used to purchase a pair of haptic controls coupled with a virtual reality head mount display and eye tracking as was software which allows us to create virtual environments. The simulator facility allows us to simultaneously investigate combinations of biomechanical, physiological, and psychophysical basic and applied research questions under realistic operating conditions. The first project to be pursued in this proposal will be the development and dynamic validation of a spatial 5-bar model of a joystick and operator's upper limb. Once the model is developed, it will be validated using the simulator to assess how well it can predict the kinematic and kinetic variables for the operator's arm and joystick. In the available literature, to my knowledge, no other research group in the world has suggested the development of a human-joystick linkage model to virtually design a joystick. These joystick design protocols could lead to design and assessment software for industrial use thus helping industry to minimize the number of prototypes that need to be built. The second project will log location and speed (via GPS) as well as rotational and translational accelerations from a working vehicle chassis in order to collect field data for an off road mobile machine such as a forestry skidder. GPS position data will then be combined with satellite images to be used with Geographic Information Software. The processed information including the vibration data will then be merged and implemented using previously developed vibration modeling techniques on the heavy equipment simulator to create location specific interactive virtual reality simulations. This will allow new devices such as joysticks, armrests and heavy equipment seats to be tested in the lab to ensure that they will work effectively when they are installed in working heavy equipment that will be used in specific locations and terrains. The second research objective involves the development of increasingly more realistic finite element models of the hand and wrist with the ultimate goal of being able to virtually predict internal wrist stress and strain in order virtually assess tools before they are built as well as to design non-surgical treatments for things such as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). One project will create linear elastic FE models for two wrist postures in order to quantify carpal tunnel volume and stresses in the transverse carpal ligament. The next project will expand upon this by including more soft tissue components such as nerves, muscles, tendons, fat and skin. CTS splints will also be designed virtually and evaluated through these FE models to establish which splints result in the lowest TCL stress and largest carpal tunnel volume thus helping to guide non-invasive splinting treatment methods for CTS. The final project will develop viscoelastic FE models of the hand and wrist.

该提案的目标是开发人为因素方法来设计重复性劳损的工具和非侵入性治疗方法。第一个研究目标将使用我新扩建的动作捕捉实验室中的新 6 DOF 重型移动设备模拟器（由 NSERC RTI 1 和加速器拨款资助）。该模拟器利用我们广泛的基于现场的振动曲线库来驱动六足机器人平台，同时操作员操纵操纵杆控制器。我们在该领域发表了广泛的文章，并积累了世界上最多样化的越野 6 自由度车辆振动场剖面目录之一。为了最好地模拟实际工作条件，模拟器结合了视觉和触觉反馈，例如在重型移动机械的操作部件中看到和感觉到的反馈。加速器资金还用于购买一对触觉控制装置，以及虚拟现实头戴式显示器和眼动追踪功能，以及允许我们创建虚拟环境的软件。模拟器设施使我们能够在现实操作条件下同时研究生物力学、生理学和心理物理学基础和应用研究问题的组合。该提案中要进行的第一个项目将是操纵杆和操作员上肢的空间 5 杆模型的开发和动态验证。 模型开发完成后，将使用模拟器对其进行验证，以评估其预测操作员手臂和操纵杆的运动学和动力学变量的效果。据我所知，在现有文献中，世界上没有其他研究小组建议开发人体操纵杆联动模型来虚拟设计操纵杆。这些操纵杆设计协议可以带来工业用途的设计和评估软件，从而帮助工业界最大限度地减少需要构建的原型数量。第二个项目将记录工作车辆底盘的位置和速度（通过 GPS）以及旋转和平移加速度，以便收集林业集材机等越野移动机器的现场数据。 GPS 位置数据随后将与卫星图像结合起来，供地理信息软件使用。然后，包括振动数据在内的处理后的信息将使用先前开发的振动建模技术在重型设备模拟器上进行合并和实施，以创建特定位置的交互式虚拟现实模拟。这将使操纵杆、扶手和重型设备座椅等新设备能够在实验室进行测试，以确保它们在安装在将在特定地点和地形使用的工作重型设备中时能够有效工作。第二个研究目标涉及开发越来越真实的手部和手腕有限元模型，最终目标是能够虚拟预测手腕内部应力和应变，以便在工具制造之前对其进行虚拟评估，并为腕管综合症（CTS）等疾病设计非手术治疗方法。一个项目将为两种手腕姿势创建线性弹性有限元模型，以量化腕管体积和腕横韧带中的应力。下一个项目将在此基础上进行扩展，加入更多的软组织成分，如神经、肌肉、肌腱、脂肪和皮肤。 CTS 夹板还将通过这些 FE 模型进行虚拟设计和评估，以确定哪些夹板可产生最低的 TCL 应力和最大的腕管体积，从而有助于指导 CTS 的非侵入性夹板治疗方法。最终项目将开发手和手腕的粘弹性有限元模型。