Effect of Head-Mounted Augmented Reality Devices on Electric Utility Manhole Workers: Neck Muscle Activity and Eye Blink Rate

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 2097-2101
Author(s):  
Ashley M. Toll ◽  
Richard W. Marklin ◽  
Eric H. Bauman ◽  
John J. Simmins
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Electric Utility ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Normal Surface ◽  
Upper Trapezius ◽  
Shoulder Muscles ◽  
Microsoft Hololens ◽  
The Right

Two head-mounted augmented reality (AR) systems, Microsoft HoloLens and RealWear HMT-1, were tested to determine their effect on blink rate and muscle activity of the neck and shoulder muscles of electric utility manhole workers. The task of splicing a cable was performed under three conditions: HoloLens, HMT-1, and No AR (normal). Surface electromyography (sEMG) of the right and left sternocleidomastoid, splenius, semispinalis capitis, and upper trapezius muscles were measured on 13 manhole workers, and a small camera recorded blink rate of the right eye. Results revealed, in general, no significant differences in 50th and 90th percentile sEMG between the three conditions. There was no difference in blink rate between the HMT-1 and No AR, but the HoloLens blink rate was 7.8 to 11 blinks/min lower than the HMT-1 for two of the three tasks. A decrease in blink rate of these magnitudes may indicate risk of eye strain to manhole workers who use an OST AR device without appropriate rest breaks. Head-mounted AR devices deployed for underground utility workers warrant further study.

scholarly journals Do Head-Mounted Augmented Reality Devices Affect Muscle Activity and Eye Strain of Utility Workers Who Do Procedural Work? Studies of Operators and Manhole Workers

2020 ◽  
pp. 001872082094371
Author(s):  
Richard W. Marklin ◽  
Ashley M. Toll ◽  
Eric H. Bauman ◽  
John J. Simmins ◽  
John F. LaDisa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Electric Utility ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Electric Utility Workers ◽  
Microsoft Hololens ◽  
The Right

Objective The objective was to determine the effect of two head-mounted display (HMD) augmented reality (AR) devices on muscle activity and eye strain of electric utility workers. The AR devices were the Microsoft HoloLens and RealWear HMT-1. Background The HoloLens is an optical see-through device. The HMT-1 has a small display that is mounted to the side of one eye of the user. Method Twelve power plant operators and 13 manhole workers conducted their normal procedural tasks on-site in three conditions: HoloLens, HMT-1, and “No AR” (regular method). Duration of test trials ranged up to 30 s for operators and up to 10 min for manhole workers. Mean and peak values of surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals from eight neck muscles were measured. A small eye camera measured blink rate of the right eye. Results In general, there were no differences in sEMG activity between the AR and “No AR” conditions for both groups of workers. For the manhole workers, the HoloLens blink rate was 8 to 11 blinks per min lower than the HMT-1 in two tasks and 6.5 fewer than “No AR” in one task. Subjective assessment of the two AR devices did not vary in general. Conclusion The decrease in blink rate with the HoloLens may expose utility manhole workers to risk of eye strain or dry-eye syndrome. Application HMD AR devices should be tested thoroughly with respect to risk of eye strain before deployment by manhole workers for long-duration procedural work.

scholarly journals Effect of Two Common Head-Mounted Augmented Reality Systems on Muscle Force and Blink Rate of Electric Utility Power Plant Operators

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 1132-1136
Author(s):  
Richard W. Marklin ◽  
Ashley M. Toll ◽  
Eric H. Bauman ◽  
John J. Simmins
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Electric Utility ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Voice Input ◽  
Upper Trapezius ◽  
Field Workers ◽  
Inspection Tasks ◽  
The Right

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that combines real and virtual information presented to the user in an interactive way in real time. The Microsoft HoloLens and RealWear HMT-1 are two common types of head-mounted AR available to industrial field workers. These two AR systems were tested on how they affected blink rate, an indicator of eye strain, and electromyographic (sEMG) activity of the neck and shoulder muscles of electric utility power plant operators while they performed five routine inspection tasks of coal equipment. The inspection tasks were conducted under three conditions: HoloLens, HMT-1, and No AR (regular method). Workers communicated with the HoloLens with a right-hand gesture and by voice input to the HMT-1. The duration of the inspection tasks ranged from an average of 10 to 28 sec. Twelve experienced power plant operators participated in the study. sEMG) of the right and left sternocleidomastoid, splenius, semispinalis capitis, and upper trapezius muscles were measured, and a small camera recorded blink rate of the right eye. Results reveal generally no significant differences in 50th and 90th percentile sEMG between the three conditions for all eight muscles. Although the means of blink rate appeared consistently lower with the HoloLens than the No AR and HMT-1 (approximately 4.4 blinks/min), these differences were not significant at the 0.05 level (p=0.06 to 0.17). Future studies should investigate a larger sample size of workers wearing AR devices for longer time periods (> 30 min) to determine long-term effects of AR devices on muscle activity and eye strain. A system of hardware, software, and experimental protocol was developed that follow-up studies may employ to test physiological effects of AR devices.

Differences in neck muscle activity according to lying positions using a smartphone

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Sun-Hee Ahn ◽  
Sung-Hoon Jung ◽  
Hyun-A Kim ◽  
Jun-Hee Kim ◽  
Young-Soo Weon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Erector Spinae ◽  
The Other ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Head Turn ◽  
Upper Trapezius ◽  
The Right ◽  
Lying Down

BACKGROUND: Due to the extended use of smartphones, people spend a lot of time on these devices while lying down. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to compare the differences in neck muscle activity of participants while they watched videos on a smartphone in four different lying positions (supine (SUP), prone on elbows (PE), side lying (SIDE), and 45∘ head turn while side lying (45-SIDE)). METHODS: Twenty-three healthy volunteers (22.4 ± 1.7 years) were enrolled in this study. We assessed the activities of their right and left sternocleidomastoid (SCM), anterior scalene, cervical erector spinae (CES), and upper trapezius (UT) muscles while they watched videos on a smartphone in four different lying positions. RESULTS: The right and left SCM and CES had significantly different muscle activities depending on the lying positions. The SCM activity had a significantly greater asymmetry in the 45-SIDE position, while the CES activity had a significantly greater asymmetry in the SIDE and 45-SIDE positions. Moreover, the UT activity had a significantly greater asymmetry in the SUP, PE, and SIDE positions. CONCLUSIONS: Neck muscle activity and asymmetry were the lowest in the SUP position relative to the other positions. Therefore, lying down in the SUP position may minimize neck muscle activation while using a smartphone.

scholarly journals Real Time Shadow Mapping for Augmented Reality Photorealistic Rendering

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 2225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Osti ◽  
Gian Maria Santi ◽  
Gianni Caligiana
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Shadow Mapping ◽  
Photorealistic Rendering ◽  
Real Time Image ◽  
Image Capturing ◽  
Microsoft Hololens ◽  
The Right ◽  
Time Image

In this paper, we present a solution for the photorealistic ambient light render of holograms into dynamic real scenes, in augmented reality applications. Based on Microsoft HoloLens, we achieved this result with an Image Base Lighting (IBL) approach. The real-time image capturing that has been designed is able to automatically locate and position directional lights providing the right illumination to the holograms. We also implemented a negative “shadow drawing” shader that contributes to the final photorealistic and immersive effect of holograms in real life. The main focus of this research was to achieve a superior photorealism through the combination of real-time lights placement and negative “shadow drawing” shader. The solution was evaluated in various Augmented Reality case studies, from classical ones (using Vuforia Toolkit) to innovative applications (using HoloLens).

Use of a Shoulder Rest for Playing the Violin Revisited: An Analysis of the Effect of Shoulder Rest Height on Muscle Activity, Violin Fixation Force, and Player Comfort

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura M Kok ◽  
Jim Schrijvers ◽  
Marta Fiocco ◽  
Barend van Royen ◽  
Jaap Harlaar
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Anterior Part ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Deltoid Muscle ◽  
Surface Emg ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Upper Trapezius ◽  
Shoulder Muscles ◽  
Rest Condition

AIMS: For violinists, the shoulder rest is an ergonomic adaptation to reduce musculoskeletal load. In this study, we aimed to evaluate how the height of the shoulder rest affects the violin fixation force and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the superficial neck and shoulder muscles. METHODS: In professional violinists, four different shoulder rest heights during five playing conditions were evaluated. Outcome variables included the jaw-shoulder violin fixation force and bilateral surface EMG of the upper trapezius (mTP), sternocleidomastoid (mSCM), and left anterior part of the left deltoid muscle (mDTA). Playing comfort was subjectively rated on a visual analogue scale (VAS). Linear regression models were estimated to investigate the influence of the shoulder rest height on muscle activity and violin fixation force as well as the muscle activity of the five evaluated muscles on violin fixation force. RESULTS: 20 professional violinists (4 males, 16 females, mean age 29.4 yrs) participated in this study. The shoulder rest condition had a significant effect on playing comfort (p<0.001), with higher shoulder rest conditions associated with decreased subjective playing comfort. The mean violin fixation force for each shoulder rest condition ranged between 2.92 and 3.39 N; higher shoulder rests were related to a higher violin fixation force (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study, violin fixation force and muscle activity of the left mDTA increased while playing with an increasing height of the shoulder rest. As the shoulder rest influences muscle activity patterns and violin fixation force, adjustment of the shoulder rest and positioning of the violin need to be carefully optimized.

scholarly journals Relationship Between Sleep, Neck Muscle Activity, and Pain in Cervical Dystonia

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 285-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Lobbezoo ◽  
Marc Thu Thon ◽  
Guy Rémillard ◽  
Jacques Y. Montplaisir ◽  
Gilles J. Lavigne
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Cervical Dystonia ◽  
Nrem Sleep ◽  
Spinal Pain ◽  
Spasmodic Torticollis ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Upper Trapezius ◽  
Before And After

AbstractObjective: The interactions between sleep, neck muscle activity, and cervical spinal pain were examined in a controlled study with nine patients suffering from idiopathic cervical dystonia (ICD; also referred to as spasmodic torticollis), and nine gender- and age-matched controls. Methods: From each participant, two all-night polysomnograms with additional electromyographic recordings from the sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius muscles were obtained. The first night was for habituation to the laboratory environment; the second night for experimental data collection. Visual analogue scales were used to collect intensity and unpleasantness ratings of cervical spinal pain before and after the second sleep recording. Results: None of the standard sleep variables showed statistically significant differences between average values of both groups of participants. However, a significantly larger variance in sleep latency was obtained for the ICD patients. In general, abnormal cervical muscle activity decreased immediately when lying down without the intention to go to sleep. Subsequently, abnormal muscle contractions were gradually abolished in all ICD patients during the transition from relaxed wakefulness to light NREM sleep. Following this transition phase, no more abnormal EMG activity was found in any of our patients. Finally, cervical spinal pain intensity and unpleasantness were reduced by about 50% overnight. Conclusions: Both supine position and sleep can be associated with an improvement of symptoms of ICD, and this disorder does not induce any sleep perturbations.

Head Rotation and Muscle Activity When Conducting Document Editing Tasks with a Head-Mounted Display

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 952-955
Author(s):  
Eunjee Kim ◽  
Gwanseob Shin
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Head Rotation ◽  
Myoelectric Activity ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Neck Flexion ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Shoulder Muscles ◽  
Flexion Moment ◽  
Subjective Discomfort ◽  
Healthy Participants

Potential ergonomic issues associated with the use of a head mounted display (HMD) for office productivity applications have not yet been quantitatively evaluated. A laboratory experiment was conducted to quantitatively evaluate physical stresses and the productivity of the use of HMD. Twenty healthy participants conducted a document editing task for 60 minutes once with an external display and once with a HMD. Head rotation in sagittal and transverse planes, myoelectric activity of neck and shoulder muscles, subjective discomfort ratings and productivity were collected periodically during the task. Results found significantly (p<0.05) greater head rotation movements on both planes, neck muscle activities, and discomfort ratings and decreased productivity when conducting the task with the HMD as compared when using the external display. Difficulty in reading texts due to insufficient resolution of the HMD screen, additional load and neck flexion moment from the weight of the device were responsible for the greater physical stresses associated with the use of HMD.

Comparison of Shoulder Protraction Strength and Electromyography Activity of Serratus Anterior and Pectoralis Major in Subjects With or Without a Winged Scapula

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 272-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-Seok Kim ◽  
Moon-Hwan Kim ◽  
Duk-Hyun Ahn ◽  
Jae-Seop Oh
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Pectoralis Major ◽  
Serratus Anterior ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Winged Scapula ◽  
Upper Trapezius ◽  
Shoulder Muscles ◽  
Strengthening Exercises ◽  
Anterior Deltoid

Context:A winged scapula (WS) is associated with faulty posture caused by weakness of the serratus anterior (SA), which mainly acts as a scapular stabilizer muscle. It is important to accurately assess and train the SA muscle with a focus on scapula stabilizers during musculoskeletal rehabilitation of individuals with a WS.Objective:The authors examined muscle activity in the SA and pectoralis major (PM), upper trapezius (UT), and anterior deltoid (AD) as well as shoulder protraction strength during isometric shoulder protraction in individuals with and without a WS.Design:Cross-sectional study.Setting:A clinical biomechanics laboratory.Participants:In total, 27 males with no shoulder, neck, or upper-extremity pain participated.Main Outcome Measures:Isometric shoulder protraction strength was collected and surface electromyography used to measure the activity of the SA, PM, UT, and AD muscles and selective SA activity ratio to other shoulder muscles.Results:Electromyography activity of the SA muscle and shoulder protraction strength were significantly lower in individuals with a WS compared with the non-WS group (P < .05). In contrast, PM muscle activity and the PM-to-SA, UT-to-SA, and AD-to-SA ratios were significantly greater in individuals with a WS than in individuals without winging (P < .05).Conclusions:Isometric shoulder protraction for measuring SA strength in individuals with a WS should focus on isolated muscle activity of the SA, and SA strengthening exercises are important for individuals with a WS.

The Effect of Upper Trapezius Taping on Electromyographic Activity in the Upper and Middle Trapezius Region

1997 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary E. Morin ◽  
David Tiberio ◽  
Gary Austin
Keyword(s):  
Isometric Contraction ◽  
Trapezius Muscle ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Electromyographic Activity ◽  
Upper Trapezius ◽  
Shoulder Muscles ◽  
Lower Trapezius ◽  
The Right ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Muscular Imbalance

A characteristic of scapulothoracic dysfunction is the tendency for the upper regions of the trapezius to hypertrophy in relation to its middle and lower portions. This creates a muscular imbalance that can alter scapular position and subsequently the length–tension relationship of the shoulder muscles. Tape was applied over the right upper trapezius to inhibit electrical activity in the muscles of 10 uninjured subjects. EMG activity was recorded in two locations of the upper trapezius and one location in the middle to lower trapezius region while each subject maintained an isometric contraction designed to activate both muscles. With the tape applied, there was a statistically significant reduction in EMG activity of the upper trapezius with a corresponding increase in the middle/lower trapezius. The ability of the tape to alter trapezius activity in this fashion may help correct muscular imbalances in the trapezius muscle.

Evaluation of Hologram Distances in Reducing Shoulder Stress During Augmented Reality Interactions

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 868-871
Author(s):  
Jeong Ho Kim ◽  
Hemateja Ari ◽  
Charan Madasu ◽  
Jaejin Hwang
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Deltoid Muscle ◽  
Design Factor ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Upper Trapezius ◽  
Shoulder Flexion ◽  
The Right ◽  
And Task

This study investigated the effect of different hologram distances on the shoulder postures, muscle activities, and the task performance (speed) during Augmented Reality (AR) interactions. With a repeated- measures design, 20 participants (10 males) performed the 3-D cube task involving gaze, pinching, and dragging gestures by different hologram distances: near (30 cm), middle (60 cm), and far (90 cm) relative to the participant. Meanwhile, muscle activities (upper trapezius, anterior and middle deltoid) and the right shoulder postures were measured. The results showed that hologram distances significantly affected middle deltoid muscle activities and shoulder flexion and abduction angles, and task performance during 3-D cube task ( p’s < 0.001). The far hologram distance resulted in higher middle deltoid muscle activity and shoulder angles compared to the near and middle distances. Task performance was higher when the hologram was displayed in the middle compared to the near and far distances ( p’s < 0.001). These results indicate that a hologram distance may be an important design factor affecting users’ shoulder stress and task performance during AR interactions.

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