Researchers from the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering are planning to conduct a study that measures how different automotive passenger seats affect physiological, biomechanical exposures and perceived comfort. They hope the results of this study will help them evaluate the current designs and potentially lead to the identification of additional design modifications to further promote effective ergonomics and health.
They are looking for adults (ages 18-48) who have a minimum of one year of driving experience and do NOT have any pre-existing musculoskeletal disorders in the upper extremities and low back regions. The duration of the study will be up to two hours and 30 minutes. It will be conducted at the Ergonomic Laboratory (Engineering Building 272) on the NIU main campus. Participants will be asked to sit on three different automotive seats during simulated driving tasks at the ergonomic laboratory. Before the experiment, the researchers will gather demographic (age, gender, race, etc.) and anthropometric information (sitting and elbow height, weight, etc.). During the experiment, they will measure muscle activity with electromyography, contact pressure on the seat with a pressure sensitive mat, skin temperature with a surface temperature sensors and perceived fatigue/comfort/preference ratings with questionnaires.
All of these measurements are non-invasive and minimal risk. Those who decide to participate will be compensated with $25 Amazon gift cards for their time.
Taking part in this study is voluntary. To participate in the study, or for more information, contact Jay Kim, principal investigator, at (815) 753-9971 or jaykim@niu.edu.
