Metabolic, vision, and other ergonomics measurement equipment is being added to the Ergonomics Laboratory of the Industrial Engineering program at Bradley University to determine the physiological cost of work performed by humans. This project facilitates the study of human factors in a state-of-the-art laboratory. Students are able to investigate how to design jobs and workplaces to fit human capabilities. The new equipment includes a computerized metabolic measurement system for determining the physiological costs of physical work, a vision tester for measurement of visual performance, a leg and arm ergometer for simulating work performed by legs and arms, and a computerized digital goniometer to measure joint angles and range of motion. Laboratory experiments are conducted by the students as part of their course-work and through independent studies and projects.
