The Relative Energistic Efficiencies of One-Armed and Two-Armed Work

Abstract

The canon of work design that the two hands (arms) should work together was investigated for several levels of a dynamic task and of a static task. A comparison of one-armed and two-armed work was made in terms of the increase in energy expenditure rate required to accomplish the same external result. The findings showed that only at low levels of the dynamic task does the one-armed method possess an energistic advantage. At higher levels of the dynamic task and at all levels of static task, the increase in energy expenditure rate was lower for the two-armed method.