Advancing digital human modeling and work simulation methods for proactive ergonomics assessments

与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病给加拿大社会带来了巨大的经济负担。在主动的人体工程学过程中，数字人体模型(DHM)或虚拟人体化身可以被插入到工作场所的计算机化渲染中，使工程师和人体工程学专家能够在工作任务元素和产品设计真正存在之前分析它们的可行性和安全性。积极主动的工作模拟是一种成本效益高的方法，可以最大限度地减少生产周期后期与伤害有关的费用和重新设计费用，但DHM中的人体工程学工具目前受到缺乏与职业相关的人类能力的基本知识的限制。因此，我的研究计划的长期目标是通过增强人体工程学强度和DHM工作模拟中的疲劳评估工具来减少代价高昂的与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病。我的研究计划的短期目标是：1)了解各种与职业相关的场景和工人群体中的人体力量能力；2)研究暂时性因素，如神经肌肉疲劳，如何影响职业力量能力；3)在DHM模拟框架内不断更新人类能力的预测模型。我的实验室的具体研究方法包括一系列活体实验室研究，调查手动手臂力量如何受到性别、年龄、肢体优势和动态用力等因素的影响(Obj.1)。我们还将评估在与当前可接受的人体工学极限(OBJ)相关的暴露水平范围内执行重复手动方案时的瞬时肌肉疲劳反应。2)。在这些目标期间，我们将同时验证和更新模拟输出，并使用OBJ的实验结果。1和2，以进一步增强我们在任何理论职业情景和工作模拟中预测可接受的武力极限的能力(Obj.3)。我的研究计划将产生短期和长期成果：a)有助于我们对人类力量能力和职业性肌肉疲劳的基本知识，同时促进以增强的DHM和工业工程过程中的工作模拟能力的形式产生的直接影响和知识转移。我的研究计划的另一个目标是培养职业人体工程学领域的高素质实习生，他们将在高度协作的实验室研究环境中工作，并获得与汽车和DHM软件行业的工业合作伙伴合作并将他们的研究成果转化为研究成果的机会。开发强大的人类能力和绩效预测模型代表着前瞻性工作模拟的保真度方面的令人兴奋的进步，并朝着减少工作场所伤害及其给加拿大工业和社会带来的巨大情感和经济负担的长期目标努力。

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders cause a tremendous financial burden to Canadian society. In a proactive ergonomics process, digital human models (DHMs), or virtual human avatars, can be inserted into computerized renderings of the workplace, allowing engineers & ergonomists to analyze the feasibility and safety of work task elements and product designs before they ever exist in reality. Proactive work simulation represents a cost-effective approach to minimize injury-related and redesign expenses late in the production cycle, but the ergonomics tools within DHMs are currently restricted by a lack of fundamental knowledge on occupationally-relevant human capability. As such, the long-term goal of my research program is to reduce costly work-related musculoskeletal disorders through the enhancement of ergonomics strength and fatigue assessment tools within DHM work simulation. The short-term objectives of my research program are to: 1) Understand human strength capability in a variety of occupationally-relevant scenarios and worker populations; 2) Study how transient factors, such as neuromuscular fatigue, affect occupational strength capability; and 3) Continually update predictive models of human capability within DHM simulation frameworks. My lab's specific research approach involves a series of in vivo laboratory studies investigating how manual arm strength is affected by factors such as sex, age, limb dominance and dynamic exertions (Obj. 1). We will also evaluate the transient muscle fatigue response when repetitive, manual force protocols are performed at a range of exposure levels relative to current acceptable ergonomics limits (Obj. 2). During these objectives, we will simultaneously validate and update simulation outputs, with experimental results from Obj. 1 & 2, to further enhance our capacity to predict acceptable force limits in any theoretical occupational scenario and work simulation (Obj. 3). My research program will produce short- and long-term outcomes that: a) contribute to our fundamental knowledge of human strength capability and occupational muscle fatigue, while b) concurrently facilitating immediate impact and knowledge transfer in the form of enhanced DHM and work simulation capability in the industrial engineering process. Another goal of my research program is to produce highly qualified trainees in the field of occupational ergonomics, who will work in a highly collaborative laboratory-based research environment and gain exposure working with and translating their research to industrial partners in the automotive and DHM software industries. Developing robust predictive models of human capability and performance represents an exciting advancement in the fidelity of proactive work simulation and works towards the long-term goal of reducing workplace injuries and their substantial emotional and financial burden to Canadian industry and society.