Comparing Standing Balance at Real and Virtual Elevated Environments

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ammons D ; Dotson B ; Hsiao H ; Simeonov P
• Description:
  The study evaluated the efficacy of a surround-screen virtual reality (SSVR) system in simulating heights for studying human postural balance at elevation. Twenty four subjects performed standing tasks at 9-m elevation and ground level, on firm and deformable surfaces, in a real environment (RE) and a comparable virtual environment (VB). The RE was the interior of the high-bay laboratory at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Morgantown, West Virginia; the VB simulated this environment in the SSVR system. Medial-lateral and anterior-posterior body sways and mean velocity of the human center-of-pressure displacement were collected using a force platform. The results indicated that the sway parameters were similar in VB and RE at elevation on both firm and deformable surfaces. At ground level, the sway parameters were significantly increased in the VB compared to the RE on a deformable surface, but not on a firm surface. It appears that visual simulation of elevated environments within a SSVR is adequate for studying the risk factors leading to losing balance and fall incidents. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Health Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Sense Organs
• Keywords:
  Environmental-factors Height-factors Injuries Posture Risk-factors Sensory-perceptual-processes Simulation-methods
• ISBN:
  9780945289203
• ISSN:
  1071-1813
• Publisher:
  Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  46
• Issue:
  26
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20023144
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 46th Annual Meeting, September 29 - October 4, 2002, Baltimore, Maryland, Bringing Fundamentals & New Opportunities. Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2002 Sep; 46(26):2169-2173
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Traumatic Injuries
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 46th Annual Meeting, September 29 - October 4, 2002, Baltimore, Maryland, Bringing Fundamentals & New Opportunities
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7457b3e0c4e42ec0507629e89e11933bae17ce756ea6618c6d4511866f86351d1644cbc155de2bb0100c605397434f0c4545de2f0955cd87611fcbde15876786
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195730/cdc_195730_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 440.52 KB ]