Kinematic Evaluation of Pulling Carry-on Luggage

Abstract

From a kinematic standpoint, the objective of this study was to investigate forward pulling tasks that were rare in ergonomic studies, so handling carry-on luggage was determined as an application. Single-pole and traditional double-pole luggage was selected for the comparison under different conditions of load weights and walking speeds. Single-pole luggage had one curved and longer pole in the handle whereas double-pole luggage had two poles that were straight and aligned in parallel. Five male students participated in the study. Subjects walked on the specially fabricated doublewide treadmill at either self-chosen normal speeds or 20% faster than normal speeds with luggage of 15 or 23 kg load weights. During one stride, the peak angles, peak velocities and peak accelerations often segments including luggage were obtained from three-dimensional planes as kinematic parameters. The result showed that all three independent variables of luggage types, walking speeds, and load weights affected the motions of most segments. Due to a curved and longer pole in the handle, single-pole luggage was tilted more forward and gave more clearance between luggage and the body. This allowed the right leg to move more freely. The load weight of 23 kg carried with luggage caused the trunk to be slightly more flexed than 15 kg and the walking speeds typically affected the motions of the upper and lower extremities. The handle of luggage could be a potential design factor to be considered by luggage designers and other ergonomic evaluation approaches may be necessary for better understanding of pulling carry-on luggage.