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.

本提案的目标是发展人为因素方法来设计重复性劳损的工具和非侵入性治疗。第一个研究目标将使用我新的6 DOF重型移动设备模拟器（由NSERC RTI 1和加速器资助），该模拟器位于我新扩展的运动捕捉实验室中。该模拟器利用我们广泛的基于现场振动剖面库来驱动六足机器人平台，同时操作员操纵操纵杆控制器。我们已经在这一领域广泛发表，并积累了最多样化的目录之一，在越野6自由度车辆振动场剖面的世界。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可以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器，加上虚拟现实头戴式显示器和眼动追踪，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同时研究生物力学，生理学和心理物理学的基础和应用研究问题在现实操作条件下的组合。该提案的第一个项目将是操纵杆和操作员上肢的空间五杆模型的开发和动态验证。一旦模型开发完成，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能力。在现有的文献中，据我所知，世界上没有其他研究小组建议开发人类操纵杆连接模型来虚拟地设计操纵杆。这些操纵杆设计协议可以引导工业使用的设计和评估软件，从而帮助工业减少需要建造的原型数量。第二个项目将记录位置和速度（通过GPS），以及工作车辆底盘的旋转和平移加速度，以便为越野移动机器（如林业滑橇）收集现场数据。GPS位置数据随后将与卫星图像结合，与地理信息软件一起使用。然后，包括振动数据在内的处理信息将被合并，并使用先前开发的重型设备模拟器上的振动建模技术来创建特定位置的交互式虚拟现实模拟。这将允许在实验室测试新的设备，如操纵杆，扶手和重型设备座椅，以确保它们在安装在将在特定位置和地形使用的工作重型设备中时能够有效地工作。第二个研究目标涉及开发越来越逼真的手和手腕有限元模型，最终目标是能够虚拟地预测手腕内部应力和应变，以便在制造工具之前虚拟地评估工具，以及设计诸如腕管综合征（CTS）之类的非手术治疗方法。一个项目将创建两种手腕姿势的线性弹性有限元模型，以量化腕管体积和腕横韧带的应力。下一个项目将在此基础上进行扩展，包括更多的软组织成分，如神经、肌肉、肌腱、脂肪和皮肤。CTS夹板也将进行虚拟设计，并通过这些有限元模型进行评估，以确定哪种夹板的TCL应力最小，腕管体积最大，从而帮助指导CTS的无创夹板治疗方法。最后的项目将开发手和手腕的粘弹性有限元模型。