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

Demir Tuken; Ian Silva; Rachel V. Vitali

doi:10.3390/s25082416

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Journal article

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

Demir Tuken, Ian Silva and Rachel V. Vitali

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), Vol.25(8), 2416

04/11/2025

DOI: 10.3390/s25082416

PMCID: PMC12031471

PMID: 40285106

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Abstract

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.

wearable sensors

inertial measurement unit

posture

spinal orientation

surface electromyography

muscle recruitment

haptic feedback

cognitive performance

ergonomics

musculoskeletal disorders

Details

Title: Subtitle: Assessing Vibrotactile Feedback Effects on Posture, Muscle Recruitment, and Cognitive Performance
Creators: Demir Tuken
Ian Silva
Rachel V. Vitali
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), Vol.25(8), 2416
DOI: 10.3390/s25082416
PMID: 40285106
PMCID: PMC12031471
NLM abbreviation: Sensors (Basel)
ISSN: 1424-8220
eISSN: 1424-8220
Publisher: MDPI
Grant note: University of Iowa start-up funds and a graduate student training fellowship through the University of Iowa Heartland CenterUniversity of Iowa start-up funds: T42 OH008491 University of Iowa Heartland Center
This research was funded by the University of Iowa start-up funds and a graduate student training fellowship through the University of Iowa Heartland Center (grant number: T42 OH008491).
Language: English
Date published: 04/11/2025
Academic Unit: Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering
Record Identifier: 9984811209402771

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