Search Results (172)

Background/Objectives: In modern medicine, humanization of care is a central theme that highlights the complementarity of clinical care with empathy, communication, and patient-centered values. The increasing use of robotic surgery is rapidly modifying surgical practice, introducing new challenges and opportunities in preserving the human dimension of care. This review aimed to synthesize the available evidence and propose a conceptual model of humanized robotic surgical care. Methods: A structured narrative review of the PubMed/MEDLINE database (from inception to January 2026) was conducted using predefined keywords related to humanization of care, robotic surgery, patient perception, surgeon experience, human factors, communication, ethics, and technological mediation. Relevant English-language publications were critically synthesized to develop a conceptual framework. Results: The literature indicates that robotic surgery influences humanized care through three interconnected domains. First, patients frequently perceive robotic surgery as more precise and technologically advanced, which may generate unrealistic expectations and misconceptions regarding robotic autonomy. Second, robotic platforms reshape the surgeon’s experience by improving ergonomics while simultaneously modifying cognitive workload, sensory feedback, and professional identity. Third, technology itself acts as an active mediator influencing communication, trust, decision-making, and relational dynamics. Building upon these findings, we propose an original triangular conceptual framework integrating the patient, the surgeon, and the technology as three interdependent determinants of humanized robotic surgical care. The framework also provides a conceptual basis for understanding the future integration of artificial intelligence into surgical practice. Conclusions: Humanization of care in the era of robotic surgery requires an integrated approach that recognizes the interdependence of patient perception, surgeon experience, and technological mediation. Ensuring effective communication, supporting surgeon well-being, and preserving ethical principles will be essential to aligning innovation with patient-centered care. Full article

The increasing adoption of collaborative robotics is reshaping the relationship between technology, organization, and human work in industrial environments. Within the transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0, Humanized Robots (HuRs) are understood not as a distinct technological category, but as a human-centered interpretation of existing collaborative robotics and human–robot collaboration configurations, emphasizing proximity, adaptability, transparency, ergonomic support, and socio-technical integration. However, the literature on human–robot collaboration remains fragmented across technical-regulatory, human factors, and organizational perspectives, with limited attention to how risk assessment outputs are translated into operational practices and decision-making support over time. To address this gap, this paper proposes a preliminary conceptual socio-technical framework for the safe integration of HuRs in industrial human-centered systems. The framework is structured around five interdependent operational levels: hazard identification, risk measures, validation and testing, KPI-based monitoring, and operational control. At its core, the framework adopts and extends the concept of safety readiness, defining it as the organizational capability to translate, sustain, and update risk-related decisions across the system lifecycle while preserving alignment between assessed risk and managed risk under changing operational conditions. The framework, its KPI-based operationalization, and the scenario-based application are conceptual and illustrative in nature. Their operational validity remains to be established through empirical studies in real HuR/HRC settings. This paper’s core contribution lies in formalizing the integration layer through which risk assessment outputs are translated into validation, KPI-based monitoring, and operational-control decisions across the system lifecycle, with safety readiness serving as the bridging construct between assessed risk and managed risk. This paper contributes by reconceptualizing safety in HuR systems as a dynamic and lifecycle-based property, formalizing the integration layer through which risk assessment outputs are translated into validation, KPI-based monitoring, and operational-control decisions across the system lifecycle, with safety readiness serving as the bridging construct between assessed risk and managed risk. Full article

The rehabilitation of aging educational buildings has become increasingly important in the context of sustainable campus development and adaptive reuse of existing infrastructure. This study proposes an integrated BIM-based framework for the rehabilitation of underutilized academic spaces through the combined application of Building Information Modeling (BIM), biophilic interior design principles, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) predictive modeling. The methodology was implemented in a case study involving non-functional areas within the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest. Autodesk Revit was employed to develop a parametric digital model of the existing structure, support spatial reconfiguration, and assess environmental and functional performance indicators throughout the rehabilitation process. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed framework, multiple performance criteria were considered, including spatial efficiency, daylight performance, material sustainability, acoustic quality, and user-perceived visual comfort. Furthermore, a synthetic dataset generated through parametric simulation was utilized to train and compare four machine learning algorithms (Multiple Linear Regression, Support Vector Regression, Random Forest, and Artificial Neural Networks) to predict user comfort based on spatial and environmental variables. The rehabilitation strategy resulted in an 18% increase in usable floor area, a 26% improvement in average daylight factor, a 25% increase in renewable material utilization, and a 38% reduction in estimated acoustic reverberation time. Simultaneously, the predictive modeling revealed that the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) provided the highest accuracy (R² = 0.91) in capturing the non-linear relationship between biophilic design elements and perceived interior quality. By integrating Gilbreth’s principles of cognitive ergonomics, the AI framework actively prevents the rigid, purely quantitative optimization associated with “Digital Taylorism, The findings demonstrate that the proposed BIM-integrated rehabilitation framework can support both technical optimization and user-centered environmental enhancement in educational facilities. The study contributes a transferable digital methodology for sustainable academic building transformation, combining geometric precision, predictive environmental performance assessment, and human-centered design principles within a unified rehabilitation workflow. Full article

This study presents the development and application of a human-centered assessment protocol for in-vehicle Human–Machine Interfaces (HMIs), suitable for real-vehicle evaluation and designed to support future implementation in simulated environments. The objective is to define a structured protocol to assess user experience (UX) in physical testing environments and simulated virtual scenarios. The protocol evaluates user performance and subjective perceptions while interacting with key interface components, including the instrument cluster, central display, steering-wheel controls, and ergonomic adjustment commands, establishing a methodological baseline for future digital and simulation-based evaluations. The work describes the process from requirement analysis to protocol design and user testing, conducted in collaboration with an automotive manufacturer. Participants performed predefined interaction tasks reflecting typical phases of vehicle use. Objective metrics, including task completion times and error rates, were collected alongside subjective evaluations of perceived usability, perceived quality, and satisfaction. Data were analyzed through t-tests and ANOVAs to investigate differences across user groups and interface elements. Beyond the empirical findings, the main contribution of this work lies in delivering a reusable human-centered evaluation framework supporting both current in-vehicle assessments and future simulated environments through automated interaction logging, behavioral tracking, and multimodal data capture while preserving methodological continuity and human-centered validity. Full article

Background: Operating room (OR) nurses are at high risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) due to physically demanding tasks and the use of heavy lead aprons. Objectives: This study evaluated the impact of a multidimensional ergonomic intervention on injury prevention awareness, compliance, and health outcomes among OR staff. Methods: A prospective quality improvement pilot study was conducted with 33 OR nurses. The intervention, based on the Health Belief Model and Human Factors Engineering, integrated ergonomic education with environmental modifications. Outcomes were assessed via questionnaires, field audits, and sick leave records at baseline, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up. Results: Awareness scores improved from 68.7% to 98.8% (p < 0.001). Observational audits demonstrated a reduction in non-ergonomic actions from 2227 to 440 (mean deviations per nurse: 111.4 to 22.0, p < 0.001), with improvements sustained at 6 months. Annual sick leave cases decreased from three to one. Conclusions: A multifaceted real-world pilot intervention combining education with system-level engineering was associated with enhancing ergonomic compliance and reducing unsafe behaviors. This approach fosters the self-efficacy necessary for sustainable WMSD risk mitigation in high-intensity clinical settings. Full article

Decades of research demonstrate that vigilance deteriorates rapidly and reliably and is often resistant to motivational override, yet ergonomic practice continues to assign monitoring tasks on assumptions the evidence does not consistently support. This paper argues that attentional capacity may be genuinely bound by biological architecture rather than merely variable in response to conditions. Drawing on empirical research and occupational vigilance data, we argue for what might be understood as a recovery of the foundational human factors philosophy of accommodation, calling for ergonomic design to redistribute cognitive work across human and machine capabilities in ways that respect the real limits of human attention. Full article

In today’s manufacturing industry, work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) remain among the most prevalent occupational health issues. Collaborative robots (cobots) represent a promising technology to address this challenge. Consequently, ergonomics assessment in human–robot collaboration (HRC) has gained increasing attention in recent years. This study investigates the feasibility of using a coupled digital twin system consisting of a digital human model (DHM) and a cobot digital twin to assess detailed ergonomic parameters such as muscle activations and joint reaction forces in an HRC task. Selected parameters are used to develop an ergonomics map that condenses the effects of human–robot interaction into a single scalar value for each working position in the coronal plane in front of the user. The ergonomics mapping approach is presented, key influencing factors are identified, and critical workspace design implications are discussed. Full article

Healthcare professionals must acquire and maintain both declarative knowledge and fine psychomotor skills across a wide range of clinical procedures. Human working memory is physiologically limited, and the high cognitive demands of clinical environments frequently contribute to medical errors and adverse events. Intra-individual performance variability—driven by fatigue, stress, and motivation—represents a further challenge that conventional medical safety education has not adequately addressed. According to the World Health Organization, patient harm ranks fourteenth in the global burden of disease, with approximately 10% of hospitalised patients in high-income countries experiencing harm within healthcare facilities. This study reports the design, theoretical rationale, and preliminary outcomes of an augmented reality (AR) glasses system for hands-free, self-directed medical procedural training, developed from a human factors and ergonomics (HFE) perspective. The system integrates a see-through head-mounted display (HMD; Epson Moverio BT-40S), bone-conduction earphones (Shokz OpenComm), and an industrial-grade voice recognition application (NEC Solution Innovators), achieving fully hands-free operation compatible with aseptic technique. Content design is grounded in cognitive load theory (CLT) and the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML), extended by neuroscientific evidence on multisensory integration and memory consolidation. More than 40 procedure-specific modules have been developed in-house at Tokyo University of Technology, spanning airway management, vascular access, respiratory therapy, dialysis, and cardiac support. In a four-year longitudinal survey (virtual reality (VR) simulator; n = 286), major satisfaction items consistently exceeded the scale midpoint. In an AR endotracheal suctioning cohort (n = 38/22), procedural flow understanding was rated 3.95/5.0. A peer-reviewed randomised controlled trial (Clinical Simulation in Nursing, n = 36) demonstrated significantly superior skill improvement (p < 0.001) and learning motivation (p = 0.001) in the AR group versus textbook self-practice. Principal ergonomic limitations of current HMD hardware—excessive weight, narrow field of view, and absence of medical-grade certification—are documented, and AI-based real-time procedural assessment is identified as a priority for the next research phase. Full article

The increasing number of end-of-life (EOL) products has raised new challenges for sustainable manufacturing, especially when recycling efficiency, structural modularity and worker well-being must be considered simultaneously. From the perspective of symmetry and asymmetry in mechanical product design, this study proposes a Design for human-centric Modular Recycling (DFHMR) approach to improve EOL product recycling while reducing ergonomic risks in disassembly operations. In the proposed framework, functional similarity, structural correspondence and spatial association among components are used to characterize symmetry-oriented modular relationships, whereas asymmetric factors such as disassembly difficulty, carbon emissions, recycling profit and worker-related ergonomic risks are incorporated to describe the heterogeneity of practical recycling processes. A multi-objective optimization model is developed to maximize green disassembly performance and intra-module relevance while minimizing inter-module coupling and human-factor risks. To solve the constrained modular design problem, an enhanced social engineering optimizer (SEO) is introduced to balance global exploration and local exploitation. A turbo reducer case study is conducted to validate the proposed model, and comparative experiments with several multi-objective optimization algorithms demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the enhanced SEO. The results indicate that the DFHMR framework can provide decision-makers with a set of balanced modular recycling schemes, offering a practical reference for symmetry-oriented, sustainable and human-centered mechanical design under Industry 5.0. Full article

Wearable technologies have emerged as promising tools for supporting Occupational Safety and Health through continuous and multimodal monitoring of physiological, biomechanical, and environmental risk factors. However, evidence regarding their real-world effectiveness and implementation remains fragmented. This study presents a systematic literature review conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines, synthesizing evidence from 60 studies addressing wearable-based monitoring, assessment, and intervention in occupational contexts. The review examines the types of technologies applied, the risks and functions addressed, the evidence on effectiveness, the evaluation metrics used, and the main barriers affecting implementation. The findings show that wearable technologies are mainly applied to ergonomic, physiological, environmental, and critical-event risks, using devices such as inertial sensors, biosensors, smart personal protective equipment, and exoskeletons. While the evidence indicates strong potential for real-time monitoring, risk detection, and data-informed decision-making, most studies rely on controlled or short-term evaluations, and consistent evidence of sustained accident reduction remains limited. The results also highlight technical, organizational, ethical, and human-related barriers, including usability, interoperability, privacy concerns, worker acceptance, and data governance. Based on this synthesis, a conceptual human-centered implementation model is proposed to support responsible and context-sensitive adoption. Full article

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) significantly impacts people’s comfort, health, and productivity in buildings, and modern green rating systems are primarily focused on energy efficiency rather than the direct user experience. This paper analyses the relationship between IEQ and the perceived quality of life (QoL) of certified and conventional office buildings in Malaysia using a mixed-methods design. The questionnaires were completed by 162 employees working in four open-plan offices: two were certified under the Green Building Index (GBI) established in Malaysia, and two were traditional. This was supplemented by 14 semi-structured interviews and 2 focus groups. The factors of IEQ were divided into ambient, designed, and behavioral environments. It was statistically determined that behavioral factors, such as visual privacy, personalization, ergonomics, and control, exhibited the strongest correlations with overall QoL, compared to ambient factors such as air quality or thermal comfort. Green buildings performed better in terms of daylighting and esthetics than conventional buildings, though they did not always deliver higher occupant satisfaction. The results indicate that current green certification frameworks pay insufficient attention to occupant-centered aspects. The proposed research adds a validated IEQ-QoL framework that predicts the incorporation of subjective user experience into building performance indicators, which can be important for certification reform, post-occupancy evaluation (POE), and human-centered sustainable design approaches. Full article

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among orthopaedic surgeons are associated with sustained, constrained postures during demanding intraoperative tasks. Total hip arthroplasty (THA) comprises sequential steps that may impose different postural loads on both the surgeon and assistant, yet team-level ergonomic design interventions remain underexplored. This study compared ergonomic risk during primary THA performed through the direct lateral (modified Hardinge) and posterolateral (Moore) approaches and assessed a simple workflow redesign: swapping surgeon and assistant positions during acetabular cup preparation (bottom reaming, perimeter reaming, and cup impaction). In a controlled Sawbones-based simulation using standard THA instruments, eight standardised surgical steps were recorded with 360° photographs. Forty-two postural instances (22 for the surgeon, 20 for the assistant) were analysed. Joint angles were measured with Kinovea and converted to Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) scores; intra- and inter-rater reliability (ICC) and minimum detectable change (MDC95) were calculated. Surgeon REBA scores were in the medium-risk range and slightly lower with the posterolateral approach (mean 5.5) than with the direct lateral approach (mean 5.88), whereas assistant scores were in the low-risk range (means 3.43 and 3.29, respectively). The position-swap intervention successfully lowered the surgeon’s REBA action level, most notably during cup impaction, where ergonomic risk dropped from 10 (high risk) to 4 (medium risk) in the posterolateral approach, and from 7 (medium risk) to 3 (low risk) in the direct lateral approach, without increasing assistant risk. These findings provide controlled simulation-based evidence that this simple, zero-cost positional change can reduce the surgeon’s ergonomic action level during THA, although confirmation under real operative conditions is needed before broad generalization. Full article

The rapid advancement of smart agricultural technologies has transformed modern farming practices, enhancing productivity, precision, and sustainability while introducing new ergonomic challenges. This study aimed to evaluate and prioritize ergonomic criteria associated with three major smart agricultural technologies—GPS-guided tractors, agricultural drones, and automatic irrigation systems—within a multi-stakeholder decision-making framework. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied to data collected from 53 experts representing four stakeholder groups: academia, operators/farmers, manufacturers, and sectoral organizations. Five ergonomic criteria—physical workload reduction, task duration, user safety, training requirement, and cost/applicability—were analyzed to determine their relative importance. The results indicate that user safety emerged as the most influential ergonomic factor for academia, farmers, and sectoral organizations, highlighting the importance of risk reduction and operator protection in smart farming environments. In contrast, manufacturers prioritized cost and applicability, reflecting economic feasibility considerations in technology development and deployment. These findings demonstrate that ergonomic priorities differ across stakeholder groups and emphasize the need for human-centered design approaches in the development of smart agricultural systems. The proposed multi-stakeholder AHP framework provides a practical and evidence-based decision-support tool for integrating ergonomic considerations into agricultural technology design, implementation, and policy development. Full article

Organizations face increasing pressure to reduce their environmental impact while preserving worker health, well-being, and performance. While sustainability research increasingly emphasizes organizational and human dimensions, validated tools assessing how environmental sustainability is integrated into ergonomic practice remain limited. Green ergonomics provides a systemic framework linking human factors and environmental objectives in sustainable work system design. This study aimed to develop and validate the Green Ergonomics Questionnaire (GEQ), a psychometric instrument designed to assess employees’ perceptions of organizational readiness to integrate sustainability into ergonomic practice. The GEQ was developed through a structured literature review, expert evaluation, and empirical validation using data from 412 employees across multiple occupational sectors. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a seven-factor structure including knowledge, training and organizational learning, organizational practices, perceived impacts, obstacles, organizational culture, and employee involvement. Reliability indices indicated satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.78–0.86; CR = 0.80–0.88), and convergent and discriminant validity were supported. Overall, the GEQ provides a structured framework to assess employees’ perceptions of how environmental sustainability is embedded within ergonomic and participatory work system design processes, contributing to research at the intersection of ergonomics, sustainability management, and organizational change. Full article

The technologies spread with the phenomenon of Industry 4.0 have changed industrial systems and the role of users. This phenomenon reached its peak with the introduction of Industry 5.0, which emphasises the need to introduce advanced systems for Human-Augmentation. The research presents a systematic review of wearable devices, applied to different contexts, according to the identification of their main functionalities. The aim is to define a reference framework for the different types of wearable devices in order to identify the critical issues and opportunities offered by current wearable device technologies for transfer to production contexts. Starting from the identification of the taxonomy of classification of wearable devices, a framework has been defined that is based on different factors, types of wearable devices, functional attributes and positioning on body parts. The literature review and classification presented how the design of wearable devices is moving towards solutions capable of improving operational efficiency and ensuring safe levels of interaction between operator and technology, with particular attention to ergonomic factors such as usability. This manuscript aims to open a debate regarding the application scenarios, and research challenges associated with the use of wearable devices. Full article