Assessing Vibrotactile Feedback Effects on Posture, Muscle Recruitment, and Cognitive Performance

Details

• Personal Author:
  Silva I ; Tuken D ; Vitali RV
• Description:
  Musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent among medical professionals like dentists, who often maintain prolonged, ergonomically disadvantageous postures. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a wearable sensor-based monitoring and feedback system designed to improve posture and evaluate muscle recruitment. Thirty-five healthy adults participated in a controlled experiment, performing a typing task under various postural conditions with and without haptic feedback. Surface electromyography sensors measured muscle activity in the upper trapezius and infraspinatus muscles, while inertial measurement units tracked spine orientation. The results indicated that haptic feedback significantly influenced muscle activity and posture. Feedback reduced deviations from the desired postures but increased muscle activity in certain conditions. Cognitive performance, measured by typing speed, decreased with feedback, suggesting a trade-off between maintaining posture and the performance of the task. These findings highlight the potential of haptic feedback in ergonomic interventions to mitigate MSDs. Future research should explore the long-term effects and optimize feedback mechanisms to balance posture correction and cognitive demands. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Nervous System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Wearable Sensors Biomechanics Cognitive Function Cognitive Performance Electromyography Haptic Feedback Inertial Measurement Unit Motion Studies MSD Muscle Function Muscle Recruitment Musculoskeletal Disorders Posture Sensors Spinal Orientation Surface Electromyography Wearable Technologies

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• ISSN:
  1424-8220
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; Kansas City Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  25
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070898
• Citation:
  Sensors 2025 Apr; 25(8):2416
• Contact Point Address:
  Demir Tuken; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
• Email:
  demir-tuken@uiowa.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Sensors
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ac2ef66dfd8c54606b55c6caf7bcbf78dc3d82334517238d0cd87785738c1ae862c188b241949cbf4ee3cbb636edb6bd11a6c7c8e72608662f16091ec8fbbb6e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/209022/cdc_209022_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.17 MB ]