Digital Human Models in Human Factors and Ergonomics Evaluation of Gesture Interfaces

Gesture-based interfaces are becoming a widely used interaction modality in many industrial applications. Therefore, it is important to guarantee usable and ergonomic interfaces for workers. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the use of digital human models (DHMs) by human factors/ergonomics (HFE) experts can complement the user evaluation of gesture interface prototypes. Two case studies were conducted, in which gesture-based systems for remote robot control were evaluated. The results indicate that the use of DHMs supports the findings from self-reported HFE evaluations. However, digital human modeling still has some limitations. For example, in this study, it was not possible to evaluate small muscle groups (e.g. fingers). We argue that adaptation of the DHMs could be a rapid and simple alternative for supporting the HFE design of gestures.