New joint analysis of electromyography spectrum and amplitude-based methods towards real-time muscular fatigue evaluation during a simulated surgical procedure: A pilot analysis on the statistical significance

Effects of laptop screen height on neck and shoulder muscle fatigue and spine loading for office workers

BACKGROUND

Due to the unfavourable neck-shoulder muscle loads caused by poor posture, the people who use the laptop for a long time may face the risk of neck and shoulder injuries.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study investigates the impact of the screen height on the muscle activation of head flexion, neck and shoulder, and the cervical spine torque to provide the favorite screen height for laptop user.

METHODS

Twelve healthy young participants completed a15-minute task of the reading at the four different screen heights. sEMG signals of the splenius capitis (SC) and upper trapezius (UT) were measured and calculated the root mean square (RMS) and mean power frequency (MPF) to determine muscle fatigue. The different height of laptop users was simulated and the forces on the spine of users at different screen heights were analyzed by Jack.

RESULTS

Adjusting the height of the laptop screen can effectively reduce head flexion and muscle activity of SC and UT, and has a positive effect on reducing fatigue of SC, but has no significant effect on UT.

CONCLUSIONS

Adjusting the height of the laptop screen can delay the occurrence of SC muscle fatigue to a certain extent. The joint analysis of sEMG spectrum and amplitude reports that the screen heights of D15 and D45 have the highest and the lowest frequency of fatigue, respectively. At the same time, the moment of spineT1/T2 and spineL4/L5 decrease with the increase of screen height.

Comparative Study of Ergonomics in Conventional and Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery

BACKGROUND

This study aims to implement a set of wearable technologies to record and analyze the surgeon's physiological and ergonomic parameters during the performance of conventional and robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery, comparing the ergonomics and stress levels of surgeons during surgical procedures.

METHODS

This study was organized in two different settings: simulator tasks and experimental model surgical procedures. The participating surgeons performed the tasks and surgical procedures in both laparoscopic and robotic-assisted surgery in a randomized fashion. Different wearable technologies were used to record the surgeons' posture, muscle activity, electrodermal activity and electrocardiography signal during the surgical practice.

RESULTS

The simulator study involved six surgeons: three experienced (>100 laparoscopic procedures performed; 36.33 ± 13.65 years old) and three novices (<100 laparoscopic procedures; 29.33 ± 8.39 years old). Three surgeons of different surgical specialties with experience in laparoscopic surgery (>100 laparoscopic procedures performed; 37.00 ± 5.29 years old), but without experience in surgical robotics, participated in the experimental model study. The participating surgeons showed an increased level of stress during the robotic-assisted surgical procedures. Overall, improved surgeon posture was obtained during robotic-assisted surgery, with a reduction in localized muscle fatigue.

CONCLUSIONS

A set of wearable technologies was implemented to measure and analyze surgeon physiological and ergonomic parameters. Robotic-assisted procedures showed better ergonomic outcomes for the surgeon compared to conventional laparoscopic surgery. Ergonomic analysis allows us to optimize surgeon performance and improve surgical training.

Wearables for Monitoring and Postural Feedback in the Work Context: A Scoping Review

Wearables offer a promising solution for simultaneous posture monitoring and/or corrective feedback. The main objective was to identify, synthesise, and characterise the wearables used in the workplace to monitor and postural feedback to workers. The PRISMA-ScR guidelines were followed. Studies were included between 1 January 2000 and 22 March 2023 in Spanish, French, English, and Portuguese without geographical restriction. The databases selected for the research were PubMed®, Web of Science®, Scopus®, and Google Scholar®. Qualitative studies, theses, reviews, and meta-analyses were excluded. Twelve studies were included, involving a total of 304 workers, mostly health professionals (n = 8). The remaining studies covered workers in the industry (n = 2), in the construction (n = 1), and welders (n = 1). For assessment purposes, most studies used one (n = 5) or two sensors (n = 5) characterised as accelerometers (n = 7), sixaxial (n = 2) or nonaxialinertial measurement units (n = 3). The most common source of feedback was the sensor itself (n = 6) or smartphones (n = 4). Haptic feedback was the most prevalent (n = 6), followed by auditory (n = 5) and visual (n = 3). Most studies employed prototype wearables emphasising kinematic variables of human movement. Healthcare professionals were the primary focus of the study along with haptic feedback that proved to be the most common and effective method for correcting posture during work activities.