Evaluating Ergonomics and Human Comfort of a Portable Assisted Mobilization Device

An innovated approach for evaluating the ergonomic aspects of a mobile device in the design of a mobility device is presented in this study. The hypothesis of this study is that ergonomic parameters analyzed in this study such as comfort, reduction of fatigue, external road factors interacting with the user such as vibration, and the minimization of injury risk of users are significantly affected by the identification of the optimal array of ergonomic measurements and ranges of factor parameters. The methodology consists of identify a target population within the 5th and 95th percentiles in size which is this particular study, the Brazilian population was selected. Two approaches were considered, one is the use of a software for ergonomic analysis to assess the static feasibility of the ranges and measurements of the parameters. The second approach is the dynamic analyses done by building two prototypes: a quarter-scale model and a full-scale model. The ergonomic design characteristics have been analyzed with a Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Matrix to evaluate their impact in the overall device’s design, importance and relationship between them. The materials selected have gone through an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) Matrix to be selected from an array of plausible materials that comply with the previous analyses. Preliminary results confirm that the array of ergonomic measurements and ranges meet the desired expectations in comfort, feasibility, fatigue and injury risk. Results provide information for the upright seating posture to the system of seat, handles, lumbar support and foot support. Further research includes the use of the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) to generate solutions when the QFD Matrix indicates an unfeasible impact in the mobility design by the ergonomic measurements and ranges