Development of Methods to Assess Self-Reach Capability

Abstract

Body armor worn by soldiers adversely affects the performance of some physical tasks. These restrictions may also affect the ability to “self-reach” to locations on their own bodies or on their body borne gear. This paper describes the development of laboratory methods to quantify self-reach capability and the results of pilot testing. Participants rated the perceived difficulty of each self-reach motion on a 10-point scale. With data from a larger study population, logistic regression models could be developed to make predictions of the difficulty rating distribution for target populations. UNCLASSIFIED: Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release.