Subjects based validation of ergonomic checks in tractors through motion capturing

The evaluation of the ergonomic design of driver cabins is often done by asking subjects. This paper describes a motion capturing method that allows the objective analysis and evaluation of gripping areas and of the accessibility of control elements in driver cabins. A camera films subjects while they are executing use cases in a driver cabin. Simultaneously, the positions of their joints in space are measured. These positions allow calculating the angles of the joints based on the frames of the camera. Finally, comparing them with comfort angles from the literature allows the ergonomic evaluation of gripping areas. In particular, this paper explains the motion capturing process itself, the elevation procedures taken from literature and adapted to the method, and the statistical validation of the method by subjects.