Changes in posture of the upper extremity through the use of various sizes of tablets and characters

  • Authors:

  • Hiroki Maniwa;Kentaro Kotani;Satoshi Suzuki;Takafumi Asao

  • Affiliations:

  • Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kansai University, 3-3-35 Yamate-cho, Suita, Osaka 564-8680, Japan;Faculty of Engineering Science, Kansai University, 3-3-35 Yamate-cho, Suita, Osaka 564-8680, Japan;Faculty of Engineering Science, Kansai University, 3-3-35 Yamate-cho, Suita, Osaka 564-8680, Japan;Faculty of Engineering Science, Kansai University, 3-3-35 Yamate-cho, Suita, Osaka 564-8680, Japan

  • Venue:
  • HCI International'13 Proceedings of the 15th international conference on Human Interface and the Management of Information: information and interaction design - Volume Part I
  • Year:
  • 2013

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the posture of the upper extremities during the use of mobile communication devices. Using various sizes of mobile devices and display characters, we examined subjective muscular loads, viewing distances, and joint angles in the head, neck, shoulder, elbow, and lower back. No postural differences were found between the use of 7-in and 10-in devices, whereas the head and neck were significantly flexed and the elbow angles were decreased during the use of the 13-in device. Character size significantly affected the viewing distance; however, no differences in body angles were found. Participants continually increased their muscular loads during the task by flexing the head and neck, despite their high subjective discomfort levels in the neck and upper arm.