Journal article
A customized system for whole-body vibration measurement
Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene
05/29/2026
DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2026.2659859
PMID: 42214087
Abstract
This manuscript describes the technical components and performance of a custom whole-body vibration (WBV) instrumentation system designed for autonomous, prolonged field measurement. The study demonstrated the technical readiness of the system's accelerometers. The system integrates a Teensy 4.1 microcontroller, triaxial microelectromechanical system accelerometers, force sensing resistors, global positioning system module, and microSD data storage. The accelerometers were validated against reference accelerometers commonly used in field-based WBV measurement using a motion simulator programmed with complex vibration input profiles specified in ISO 7096:2020
for testing operator seat vibration in earth moving machinery. In the time domain, accelerometers in the custom WBV instrumentation system exhibited ≤ 2.21% error in root-mean-square (RMS) amplitude measurements and < 0.03 g sample-to-sample RMS deviation from the reference accelerometers. Frequency-domain analysis (1/3-octave band) suggested slight underestimation of signal power at low frequencies (≤10 Hz), but the differences were practically small at each 1/3-octave band. Ultimately, the system will enable WBV monitoring in settings in which operators are remote and/or the schedule of machine operation is variable (e.g., agriculture). Future work will focus on real-world validation and exploring use of the force sensing resistors to characterize operator posture, further enhancing the system's utility in occupational WBV exposure monitoring.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- A customized system for whole-body vibration measurement
- Creators
- Brian Fiegel - University of IowaYash Kumar Dhabi - University of IowaGeb Thomas - University of IowaSalam Rahmatalla - University of IowaElizabeth M Ritchie - University of IowaAdam Ramker - University of IowaOliver Stroh - University of IowaDavid G Wilder - University of IowaNathan B Fethke - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene
- DOI
- 10.1080/15459624.2026.2659859
- PMID
- 42214087
- NLM abbreviation
- J Occup Environ Hyg
- ISSN
- 1545-9632
- eISSN
- 1545-9632
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Grant note
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health: CDC/NIOSH U54OH007548
This research was supported by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) through a cooperative agreement with the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health (CDC/NIOSH grant no: U54OH007548). The material presented is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the official views of CDC/NIOSH.
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 05/29/2026
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Occupational and Environmental Health; Orthopedics and Rehabilitation; Industrial and Systems Engineering; Injury Prevention Research Center
- Record Identifier
- 9985166833302771
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