Office of Undergraduate Research

Ergonomic Comparison of Manual Cable Tie Tools

he objective of this study is to quantify the grip force requirements to use 4 different styles of manual cable tie hand-tools using electromyography (EMG), and subjective ratings from subjects. For this study, the undergraduate student will work with 2 graduate students and me to collect data on 24 subjects (12 male and 12 female). The student will be involved with all aspects of equipment set-up, calibration, and data collection. The study will be a factorial design laboratory study that will test four tools, 3 different cable tie strengths, and 2 different speeds of work. EMG data will be collected to determine grip strength and duration of force. Subjective ratings will collected to determine subject preferences and ratings of perceived exertion and fatigue.

Tasks and responsibilities:

The student will be incorporated into every aspect of the project, thereby becoming immersed in the research process. Working closely with two graduate students and the faculty mentor, the student will identify key parameters that will require experimental control, design and build necessary fixtures and instrumentation and collect data on 24 subjects. Following data collection, the student will work under faculty supervision to statistically analyze data.