Via usability measurement methods several ergonomic issues can be processed. Two important examples shall show this briefly: One focus of research is concerned with driver distraction. In dual-task settings (primary and secondary task) via eye-tracking, occlusion, pupil dilation measurement one can measure how much a secondary task distracts from the proper fulfillment of the main task. In addition, traditional usability studies examine effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction of interaction with various devices or systems (e.g. mobile devices).
Driving simulators are an important tool for research. The driving simulators at the institute are used for example for studies on driving behavior, for research of new driver assistance systems as well as to conduct investigations on the operability in the vehicle. Advantages of the driving simulator are the accurate adjustability of the experiments, the exact repeatability of scenarios and having always the same experimental conditions.
Expert tools and data collection contain ergonomic requirements for the design of products and work places, a wide choice of anthropometric data, different methods of analysis and evaluation, literature research and definitions of basic terms referring to works of science. The goal of the development of expert tools is to support for product development and the creation of evaluation methods with different levels of depth and detail. Easy and more extensive questions can be asked based on the range of the data set: What height should symbols on a control panel be? What criteria can be important for measuring acceptance of HUD in vehicles?
The objective of measuring comfort (or more precisely discomfort) is to collect data on the subjective sensation of discomfort and to correlate them with objective, physical measurements. Thus an objectification of the discomfort is achieved, which makes simulation possible. This is seen especially in the discomfort of the human-seat interaction. Typical questions are: Which variant of a seat generates the lower discomfort? How does discomfort change under long-term exposure?
Digital human modeling describes the mapping of human characteristics in simulation models which are used for product and workplace design. Experimental biomechanics generate the necessary experimental basis. In this field anthropometric, biomechanical as well as perceptual characteristics are modeled and simulated. Typical questions answered are: How should a vehicle be designed to allow optimal usage for drivers of different sizes and different proportions? How much force can be exerted at a specific posture? Which forces occur inside the hip joint during cycling?
Physiological load means the demand of a defined load which is not addicted from the individual human being. Contrary to this physiological stress shows the effect of physiological load on the human body. With the regard on testing clothes a thinkable question might be: “Does the athlete show different physiological stresses with the same physiological load in different cloth?”
Very important for investigations within this topic is the cooperation with the Institute of Public Health Research and the Institute of Sports Medicine. There was a study about the physiological stress on the human body when playing active video games. Therefore the Department of Sport Equipment and Materials and the Institute of Public Health investigated the difference of the metabolism rate, the Heart rate and the kinematics in the Nintendo Wii sports game “Tennis” compared to the Playstation Game “Eye Toy Genetic”.
The examination of sport materials is an important point for the sport industry, because safe materials ensure athletes safety. Besides this it is possible to investigate and compare mechanical parameters like elasticity, stiffness and damping. For this reason the Department of Sport Equipment and Material has some testing machines which are applied in different investigations. A thinkable question for testing materials could be the examination of different damping properties of Sport shoes. A possible reason for such an investigation is, that walking on a hard ground occurs to be high stress for the human body and reacts in long time damage within the lower extremities.
On the campus in the olympic parc the Department for Sports Equipment and Materials has a highly equipped bike lab. There are several dynamic test benches for fatigue testing of bike frames and components like seat tubes and handle bars. Additionally we have a test bench for stiffness tests and several test bikes for load measurement in field. Goal of our work is to improve the safety of bike frames and components.
The idea oft he House of Tests consists of independent evaluation of sports products in field studies. It serves as important interface between science, industries and end consumers and provides scientifically ensured test services for sports hardware, shoes and textiles with the infrastructure of the Technische Universität München. The evaluation method bases on the KANO model and questioning for identification of preferred product attributes.