Citation

Kolich M, Taboun SM. Int. J. Occup. Safety Ergonomics 2002; 8(4): 483-496.

Affiliation

Department of Industrial Manufacturing Systems Engineering, University of Windsor, Ont, Canada. michael.kolich@jci.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Centralny Instytut Ochrony Pracy - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12427352

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if the advantages and disadvantages of a new automotive seating concept, known as the micro-adjuster control system, could be reliably evaluated using both a physiological assessment technique (i.e., electromyography [EMG]) and a subjective questionnaire. The results indicate that psychophysical measures of discomfort and the root mean squared (RMS) activity of the EMG are statistically related, r (8) = -.788, p =.020. More specifically, subjective perceptions of comfort were found to improve with decreasing levels of muscle activity. This implies that seat comfort can be evaluated on the basis of physiological as well as subjective responses to prolonged driving. This finding should drastically improve automobile seat design efforts.

Language: en