Manual material handling (MMH) tasks can pose risks of musculoskeletal disorders for workers, which makes posture training programs essential. The ultimate goal of this research was to design and evaluate an augmented reality (AR) based training platform, namely the virtual instructor application (VIA). Specifically, the usability problems revealed from the preliminary version (VIA-1) were addressed and enhanced features were implemented in the current version (VIA-2). The usability of VIA-2 was assessed by ten individuals with experience of MMH. Participants explored VIA-2 while performing a series of predefined tasks. A usability questionnaire was administered, and a brief interview was conducted. Results showed that VIA-2 had increased usability compared to VIA-1. While some visual content display issues occurred, a future minor refurnish can address these problems. Finally, the iterative design and evaluation scheme can be applied to the future design of AR-based training programs and evaluation protocols.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AburummanM.NewnamS.FildesB. (2019). Evaluating the effectiveness of workplace interventions in improving safety culture: A systematic review. Safety Science, 115, 376–392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2019.02.027
ChenK.PereraG.LiL.XuX.ChenK. B. (2020). Develop and evaluate an augmented reality posture training tool to promote work safety. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 64(1), 2051–2055. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181320641496
4.
DenisD.GonellaM.ComeauM.LauzierM. (2020). Questioning the value of manual material handling training: a scoping and critical literature review. Applied Ergonomics, 89, 103186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2020.103186
5.
DerosB. M.DaruisD. D. I.IsmailA. R.SawalN. A.GhaniJ. A. (2010). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among workers’ performing Manual Material Handling work in an automotive manufacturing company. American Journal of Applied Sciences, 7(8), 1087–1092. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajassp.2010.1087.1092
6.
DerosB. M.DaruisD. D. I.RoslyA. L.Abd AzizI.HishamuddinN. S.HamidN. H. A.RoslinS. M. (2017). Ergonomic risk assessment of manual material handling at an automotive manufacturing company. Pressacademia, 5(1), 317–324. https://doi.org/10.17261/pressacademia.2017.606
7.
DoolaniS.WesselsC.KanalV.SevastopoulosC.JaiswalA.NambiappanH.MakedonF. (2020). A Review of Extended Reality (XR) Technologies for Manufacturing Training. Technologies, 8(4), 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies8040077
8.
FergusonS. A.MerryweatherA.ThieseM. S.HegmannK. T.LuM. L.KapelluschJ. M.MarrasW. S. (2019). Prevalence of low back pain, seeking medical care, and lost time due to low back pain among manual material handling workers in the United States. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 20(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-019-2594-0
9.
FonsecaD.RedondoE.VillagrasaS. (2015). Mixed-methods research: a new approach to evaluating the motivation and satisfaction of university students using advanced visual technologies. Universal Access in the Information Society, 14(3), 311–332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209014-0361-4
10.
GlockC. H.GrosseE. H.NeumannW. P.FeldmanA. (2021). Assistive devices for manual materials handling in warehouses: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Production Research, 59(11), 3446–3469. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2020.1853845
11.
HermansV.De PreterG.VerschuerenT. (2012). Training in manual material handling: What is going on in the field?Work, 41(Supplement 1), 588–591. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-2012-0214-588
12.
KlatzkyR. L.WuB.SheltonD.StettenG. (2008). Effectiveness of augmented-reality visualization versus cognitive mediation for learning actions in near space. ACM Transactions on Applied Perception (TAP), 5(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1145/1279640.1279641
13.
LaViolaJ.Jr.KruijffE.McMahanR.BowmanD.PoupyrevI. (2017). 3D User Interfaces Theory and Practice. Addison-Wesley Professional.
14.
LewisJ. R. (2002). Psychometric Evaluation of the PSSUQ Using Data from Five Years of Usability Studies. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 14(3–4), 463–488. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2002.9669130
15.
MengoniM.CeccacciS.GenerosiA.LeopardiA. (2018). Spatial Augmented Reality: An application for human work in smart manufacturing environment. Procedia Manufacturing, 17, 476–483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2018.10.072
16.
PerezA. A.HidalgoM.LediaevaI.MoulouaM.HancockP. A. (2019). Considerations for the Usability and Implementation of Augmented Reality in Production Environments. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 63(1), 2180–2184. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181319631453
17.
PifarreacuteM.SorribasX.VillegasE. (2009). BLA (Bipolar Laddering) Applied to YouTube. Performing Postmodern Psychology Paradigms in User Experience Field. In Advanced Technologies (pp. 952–958). https://doi.org/10.5772/8233
18.
SavageP. (1996). User interface evaluation in an iterative design process: a comparison of three techniques. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 307–308. https://doi.org/10.1145/257089.257335
19.
VerbeekJ.MartimoK.KarppinenJ.KuijerP.Viikari-JunturaE.TakalaE. (2011). Manual material handling advice and assistive devices for preventing and treating back pain in workers: A Cochrane Systematic Review. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 6. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005958.pub3
20.
YimH. BinSeongP. H. (2010). Heuristic guidelines and experimental evaluation of effective augmented-reality based instructions for maintenance in nuclear power plants. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 240(12), 4096–4102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2010.08.023
