scholarly journals Wearables for Biomechanical Performance Optimization and Risk Assessment in Industrial and Sports Applications

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Sam McDevitt ◽  
Haley Hernandez ◽  
Jamison Hicks ◽  
Russell Lowell ◽  
Hamza Bentahaikt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Performance Optimization ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Data Types ◽  
Measurement Units ◽  
Numerous Data ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual

Wearable technologies are emerging as a useful tool with many different applications. While these devices are worn on the human body and can capture numerous data types, this literature review focuses specifically on wearable use for performance enhancement and risk assessment in industrial- and sports-related biomechanical applications. Wearable devices such as exoskeletons, inertial measurement units (IMUs), force sensors, and surface electromyography (EMG) were identified as key technologies that can be used to aid health and safety professionals, ergonomists, and human factors practitioners improve user performance and monitor risk. IMU-based solutions were the most used wearable types in both sectors. Industry largely used biomechanical wearables to assess tasks and risks wholistically, which sports often considered the individual components of movement and performance. Availability, cost, and adoption remain common limitation issues across both sports and industrial applications.

scholarly journals Sports Foods and Dietary Supplements for Optimal Function and Performance Enhancement in Track-and-Field Athletes

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Peeling ◽  
Linda M. Castell ◽  
Wim Derave ◽  
Olivier de Hon ◽  
Louise M. Burke
Keyword(s):  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Track And Field ◽  
Supplement Use ◽  
Optimal Function ◽  
Repeated Use ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Health Function ◽  
Specific Scenario

Athletes are exposed to numerous nutritional products, attractively marketed with claims of optimizing health, function, and performance. However, there is limited evidence to support many of these claims, and the efficacy and safety of many products is questionable. The variety of nutritional aids considered for use by track-and-field athletes includes sports foods, performance supplements, and therapeutic nutritional aids. Support for sports foods and five evidence-based performance supplements (caffeine, creatine, nitrate/beetroot juice, β-alanine, and bicarbonate) varies according to the event, the specific scenario of use, and the individual athlete’s goals and responsiveness. Specific challenges include developing protocols to manage repeated use of performance supplements in multievent or heat-final competitions or the interaction between several products which are used concurrently. Potential disadvantages of supplement use include expense, false expectancy, and the risk of ingesting banned substances sometimes present as contaminants. However, a pragmatic approach to the decision-making process for supplement use is recommended. The authors conclude that it is pertinent for sports foods and nutritional supplements to be considered only where a strong evidence base supports their use as safe, legal, and effective and that such supplements are trialed thoroughly by the individual before committing to use in a competition setting.

The Effect of Wave Motion Intensities on Performance in a Simulated Search and Rescue Task and the Concurrent Demands of Maintaining Balance

2020 ◽  
pp. 001872082095290
Author(s):  
Carolyn A. Duncan ◽  
Nicole Bishop ◽  
Vicki Komisar ◽  
Scott N. MacKinnon ◽  
Jeannette M. Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Wave Motion ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Balance Control ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Search And Rescue ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Motion Platform ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Maritime Search And Rescue

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine how intensity of wave motions affects the performance of a simulated maritime search and rescue (SAR) task. Background Maritime SAR is a critical maritime occupation; however, the effect of wave motion intensity on worker performance is unknown. Methods Twenty-four participants (12 male, 12 female) performed a simulated search and rescue task on a six-degree-of-freedom motion platform in two conditions that differed in motion intensity (low and high). Task performance, electromyography (EMG), and number of compensatory steps taken by the individual were examined. Results As magnitude of simulated motion increased, performance in the SAR task decreased, and was accompanied by increases in lower limb muscle activation and number of steps taken. Conclusions Performance of an SAR task and balance control may be impeded by high-magnitude vessel motions. Application This research has the potential to be used by maritime engineers, occupational health and safety professionals, and ergonomists to improve worker safety and performance for SAR operators.

scholarly journals Motion Capture Technology in Industrial Applications: A Systematic Review

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (19) ◽  
pp. 5687
Author(s):  
Matteo Menolotto ◽  
Dimitrios-Sokratis Komaris ◽  
Salvatore Tedesco ◽  
Brendan O’Flynn ◽  
Michael Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Motion Capture ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Industrial Processes ◽  
Application Study ◽  
First Choice ◽  
Study Characteristics ◽  
Measurement Units

The rapid technological advancements of Industry 4.0 have opened up new vectors for novel industrial processes that require advanced sensing solutions for their realization. Motion capture (MoCap) sensors, such as visual cameras and inertial measurement units (IMUs), are frequently adopted in industrial settings to support solutions in robotics, additive manufacturing, teleworking and human safety. This review synthesizes and evaluates studies investigating the use of MoCap technologies in industry-related research. A search was performed in the Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Only studies in English, from 2015 onwards, on primary and secondary industrial applications were considered. The quality of the articles was appraised with the AXIS tool. Studies were categorized based on type of used sensors, beneficiary industry sector, and type of application. Study characteristics, key methods and findings were also summarized. In total, 1682 records were identified, and 59 were included in this review. Twenty-one and 38 studies were assessed as being prone to medium and low risks of bias, respectively. Camera-based sensors and IMUs were used in 40% and 70% of the studies, respectively. Construction (30.5%), robotics (15.3%) and automotive (10.2%) were the most researched industry sectors, whilst health and safety (64.4%) and the improvement of industrial processes or products (17%) were the most targeted applications. Inertial sensors were the first choice for industrial MoCap applications. Camera-based MoCap systems performed better in robotic applications, but camera obstructions caused by workers and machinery was the most challenging issue. Advancements in machine learning algorithms have been shown to increase the capabilities of MoCap systems in applications such as activity and fatigue detection as well as tool condition monitoring and object recognition.

scholarly journals Friendly environmental policies implementation within the company: an ESG ratings analysis and its applicability to companies´ environmental performance enhancement

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 885-893
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Social Policies ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Quality Health ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Performance Results ◽  
The Impact

<p>In order to move towards a more environmentally oriented economy, society needs to be aware and able to recognize environmental friendly practices. Firms are increasingly relying on environmental scores ratings to make strategic decisions. In this context, understanding how day-to-day company´s decisions affect environment scores is crucial. This paper examines the impact of social policies on the environmental scores of companies. Using data on for 3895 firms from the ASSET4 database between 2006 and 2010, we report on how employment quality, health and safety, training and development and diversity policies affect firms’ environmental scores. An ANOVA test, followed by a regression analysis, was ran to test differences between the major markets. Also, the interaction between the selected variables and environmental scores, was tested in order to investigate the individual effects of social policies and location on environmental performance. Results show that environmental scores increase with the presence of social policies, and that the location of the company is a differentiating factor. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for future environmental promotion within companies.</p>

Sleep – A Game Changer in the Athletic World?

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Performance Optimization ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Recovery Method ◽  
Lack Of Sleep ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Traditional Approaches ◽  
And Control

The restorative qualities of sleep are fundamentally the basis of the individual athlete’s ability to recover and perform, and to optimally be able to challenge and control the effects of exercise regimes in high performance sport. Research consistently shows that a large percentage of the population fails to obtain the recommended 7–9 hours of sleep per night [17]. Moreover, recent years’ research has found that athletes have a high prevalence of poor sleep quality [6]. Given its implications on the recovery process, sleep affects the quality of the athlete’s training and outcome of competitions. Although an increasing number of recovery aids (such as cold baths, anti-inflammatory agents, high protein intake etc.) are available, recent years research show the important and irreplaceable role of sleep and that no recovery method can compensate for the lack of sleep. Every facet of an athlete’s life has the capacity to either create or take out energy, contribute to the overall stress level and subsequently the level of both recovery and performance. While traditional approaches to performance optimization focus simply on the physical stressors, this overview will highlight the benefits and the basic principles of sleep, its relation to recovery and performance, and provide input and reflect on what to consider when working with development and maintenance of athletic performance.

COMPARATIVE ERGONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF SLAB FORMWORK SYSTEMS

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter Schlagbauer ◽  
Detlef Heck
Keyword(s):  
Selection Process ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Construction Site ◽  
Single Task ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Average Work ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

The economic efficiency of formwork systems does not depend only on the cost of the product; the achievable performance on the construction site has also a big influence on the selection process. This performance is connected to various factors, such as the number or weight of the individual items, or the required height of the formwork surface. In the course of this research project, four different slab formwork systems performing similar jobs were investigated, enabling a comparison based on an ergonomic assessment. The evaluation of the different systems proved that results and expectations correspond, in this case tasks were reviewed separately for individual systems. Comparing the systems directly, by using the calculated points of the ergonomics evaluation for an average work process, the results display that the least onerous system achieved the highest individual score values. These results led to the assumption that ergonomic scores should not be the sole base for a decision; therefore the performance progress was included and relative ergonomic values for a typical formwork surface were calculated. The result of this evaluation is in line with expectations for the strain of individual systems. The different results between single-task and performance-related evaluations illustrated that, for the assessment of health and safety issues combined with economic factors, not only was the single-task evaluation important, but also an overall view should be taken for a typical scope of work.

scholarly journals Exploring the Role of Wearable Technology in Sport Kinematics and Kinetics: A Systematic Review

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 1597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yewande Adesida ◽  
Enrica Papi ◽  
Alison H McGregor
Keyword(s):  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Angular Rate ◽  
Wearable Technology ◽  
Optical Motion ◽  
Measurement Units ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Optical Motion Capture ◽  
Flex Sensors ◽  
Kinematics And Kinetics

The aim of this review was to understand the use of wearable technology in sport in order to enhance performance and prevent injury. Understanding sports biomechanics is important for injury prevention and performance enhancement and is traditionally assessed using optical motion capture. However, such approaches are limited by capture volume restricting assessment to a laboratory environment, a factor that can be overcome by wearable technology. A systematic search was carried out across seven databases where wearable technology was employed to assess kinetic and kinematic variables in sport. Articles were excluded if they focused on sensor design and did not measure kinetic or kinematic variables or apply the technology on targeted participants. A total of 33 articles were included for full-text analysis where participants took part in a sport and performed dynamic movements relating to performance monitored by wearable technologies. Inertial measurement units, flex sensors and magnetic field and angular rate sensors were among the devices used in over 15 sports to quantify motion. Wearable technology usage is still in an exploratory phase, but there is potential for this technology to positively influence coaching practice and athletes’ technique.

Ergonomics in Large Machinery Design

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (38) ◽  
pp. 707-710
Author(s):  
Barbara McPhee
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Specific Design ◽  
Safety Regulations ◽  
Heavy Equipment ◽  
Performance Specifications ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Machinery Design

Until recently in Australia it has been difficult to convince machinery manufacturers that ergonomics was worthy of their attention and action. Ergonomics evaluation of a range of machinery has been hampered by a lack of accessible, useable design criteria. Formal Standards, such as the Standard on Plant give guidelines on risk assessment but nothing specific in terms of ergonomics design guidelines. Most other Standards are out-of-date or are inconsistent with current practice in Australia. By necessity most occupational health and safety regulations and standards for heavy equipment define their design in terms of broad principles to reduce risks to health and safety. To assist designers, purchasers and users of heavy machinery in the application of ergonomics principles it may be worth developing useability standards such as those used for computer systems. These may be applied to generate more specific design and performance specifications using the consultative risk assessment process.

scholarly journals Extended-Range Prediction Model Using NSGA-III Optimized RNN-GRU-LSTM for Driver Stress and Drowsiness

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (19) ◽  
pp. 6412
Author(s):  
Kwok Tai Chui ◽  
Brij B. Gupta ◽  
Ryan Wen Liu ◽  
Xinyu Zhang ◽  
Pandian Vasant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Prediction Algorithm ◽  
Future Research ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Gated Recurrent Units ◽  
Driver Stress

Road traffic accidents have been listed in the top 10 global causes of death for many decades. Traditional measures such as education and legislation have contributed to limited improvements in terms of reducing accidents due to people driving in undesirable statuses, such as when suffering from stress or drowsiness. Attention is drawn to predicting drivers’ future status so that precautions can be taken in advance as effective preventative measures. Common prediction algorithms include recurrent neural networks (RNNs), gated recurrent units (GRUs), and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks. To benefit from the advantages of each algorithm, nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-III (NSGA-III) can be applied to merge the three algorithms. This is named NSGA-III-optimized RNN-GRU-LSTM. An analysis can be made to compare the proposed prediction algorithm with the individual RNN, GRU, and LSTM algorithms. Our proposed model improves the overall accuracy by 11.2–13.6% and 10.2–12.2% in driver stress prediction and driver drowsiness prediction, respectively. Likewise, it improves the overall accuracy by 6.9–12.7% and 6.9–8.9%, respectively, compared with boosting learning with multiple RNNs, multiple GRUs, and multiple LSTMs algorithms. Compared with existing works, this proposal offers to enhance performance by taking some key factors into account—namely, using a real-world driving dataset, a greater sample size, hybrid algorithms, and cross-validation. Future research directions have been suggested for further exploration and performance enhancement.

A Performance Enhancement Program for a College Football Team: One Incredible Season

1987 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Fenker ◽  
Judith G. Lambiotte
Keyword(s):  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
College Football ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Training Techniques ◽  
Imagery Training ◽  
Football Team ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
A Performance

This article presents a case study describing the development and implementation of a performance enhancement program for a major college football team. The program used imagery training techniques in conjunction with a process-oriented approach to performance to help the team achieve its best record in 20 years. Data on the individual players’ game grades, their evaluation of the enhancement program, and their strategy for reaching an optimal mental state were collected. In all, 86% of the starters evaluated the program’s overall value to the team as being important or very significant. Multiple regression analyses were used to predict starters’ game grades and consistency ratings from the athletes’ preparation and performance (readiness) strategies. Details of the imagery training procedures and other enhancement techniques are included.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document