Accuracy and repeatability of an inertial measurement unit system for field-based occupational studies

Mark C Schall; Nathan B Fethke; Howard Chen; Sakiko Oyama; David I Douphrate

doi:10.1080/00140139.2015.1079335

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Accuracy and repeatability of an inertial measurement unit system for field-based occupational studies

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Accuracy and repeatability of an inertial measurement unit system for field-based occupational studies

Mark C Schall, Nathan B Fethke, Howard Chen, Sakiko Oyama and David I Douphrate

Ergonomics, Vol.59(4), pp.591-602

04/02/2016

DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2015.1079335

PMCID: PMC9469634

PMID: 26256753

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/9469634View

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Abstract

The accuracy and repeatability of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) system for directly measuring trunk angular displacement and upper arm elevation were evaluated over eight hours (i) in comparison to a gold standard, optical motion capture (OMC) system in a laboratory setting, and (ii) during a field-based assessment of dairy parlour work. Sample-to-sample root mean square differences between the IMU and OMC system ranged from 4.1° to 6.6° for the trunk and 7.2°-12.1° for the upper arm depending on the processing method. Estimates of mean angular displacement and angular displacement variation (difference between the 90th and 10th percentiles of angular displacement) were observed to change <4.5° on average in the laboratory and <1.5° on average in the field per eight hours of data collection. Results suggest the IMU system may serve as an acceptable instrument for directly measuring trunk and upper arm postures in field-based occupational exposure assessment studies with long sampling durations. Practitioner Summary: Few studies have evaluated inertial measurement unit (IMU) systems in the field or over long sampling durations. Results of this study indicate that the IMU system evaluated has reasonably good accuracy and repeatability for use in a field setting over a long sampling duration.

upper limb disorders

agriculture ergonomics

musculoskeletal disorders

back pain

Ergonomics tools and methods

Details

Title: Subtitle: Accuracy and repeatability of an inertial measurement unit system for field-based occupational studies
Creators: Mark C Schall - Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Auburn University
Nathan B Fethke - Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa
Howard Chen - Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa
Sakiko Oyama - Department of Kinesiology, Health and Nutrition, University of Texas at San Antonio
David I Douphrate - Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas School of Public Health
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Ergonomics, Vol.59(4), pp.591-602
DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2015.1079335
PMID: 26256753
PMCID: PMC9469634
NLM abbreviation: Ergonomics
ISSN: 0014-0139
eISSN: 1366-5847
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Grant note: 2U54OH008085-08; 5T42OH008491-08; 5U54OH007548-13A / National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (10.13039/100000125)
Language: English
Date published: 04/02/2016
Academic Unit: Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Occupational and Environmental Health; Industrial and Systems Engineering; Injury Prevention Research Center
Record Identifier: 9983997457702771

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