Is ergonomics closely related to mechanical engineering design?

I. Definition of Ergonomics

International Society of Ergonomics (International-

Ergonomics Association): A discipline that studies the anatomy, physiology, psychology and other factors of people in a certain working environment, the interaction between people and machines and the environment, and how to consider work efficiency, human health, safety and comfort in work, life and vacation.

"China Encyclopedia of Enterprise Management" defines ergonomics as: studying the interaction and reasonable combination of human, machine and environment, making the designed machine and environment system suitable for human physiological and psychological characteristics, and achieving the purpose of improving production efficiency, safety, health and comfort.

To sum up, ergonomics is a kind of research on mechanical products with the concept of "people-oriented, taking into account the environment, pursuing functions, and striving for the coordination and unity of the three". Based on the physiological and psychological characteristics of human beings, the interaction between human beings and machinery, human beings and environment, machinery and environment is analyzed and studied from the viewpoint of system engineering, which provides a scientific theory and method for designing an engineering system with simple operation, labor saving, safety and comfort, and the best coordination among human beings, machines and environment.

With the development of society, machines have gradually evolved from "just to achieve a certain goal" to "achieve as many goals as possible"; From "improving work efficiency as the main goal" to "improving coordination with environment and people" The inevitable trend of social development is that people-oriented thought will be paid more and more attention. The surrounding environment and users' feelings will be important reference conditions for evaluating the quality of a mechanical product. How to make mechanical design take into account the environment and users' feelings as much as possible under the premise of achieving the set goals will be the direction of mechanical designers' efforts for a long time to come.

Second, how to evaluate whether a product meets the specifications in ergonomics?

How to evaluate whether a product conforms to the norms in ergonomics? Taking Sturlgart Design Center in Germany as an example, when selecting excellent products every year, the standards set by ergonomics are: 1) whether the products match the size, shape and strength of the human body; 2) Whether the product is convenient and easy to use; 3) Whether it can prevent users from accidental injuries and dangers caused by misoperation; 4) Whether each operation unit is practical; Whether elements can be placed so that their meanings can be recognized without doubt; 5) Whether the product is easy to clean, maintain and repair.

Third, the research methods of ergonomics

When we design, if we want to consider the design factors of ergonomics, we must first make clear the users and users of the design objects. On the basis of clarifying the functional principle, all kinds of problems that may occur in the use stage should be taken into account in the initial stage of design, and the detailed design in the later stage should be carried out from the perspective of "pleasing people"

Then investigate the gender of users, by measuring the static and dynamic data of various parts of the human body; Investigate, inquire or directly observe the characteristics of human behavior and reaction during operation; Analysis and research of time and action; Measure the dynamic changes of people's psychological state and various physiological indexes before and after operation and during operation; Observe and analyze the problems existing in the operation process and technological process, understand the user's feelings about such products, and get feedback information in time.

Then analyze the causes of errors and accidents through the survey results obtained; Conduct model experiments or simulation experiments with computers; Find out the relationship between variables by numerical and statistical methods, so as to draw correct conclusions or develop related theories.

Finally, the conclusion will be used for the next step of design, so that the concept of ergonomics can be applied to our design. The designed products will be more pleasing to the eye and meet the requirements of the times.

Four, ergonomics research examples

In recent years, people attach great importance to the study of interpersonal science and have developed many pleasant products, which greatly facilitate our lives.

For example, according to the structural characteristics of the human spine and the physiological characteristics of different users such as height and arm length, the shape of the chair backrest is improved to make it suitable for different people to use, which can avoid the wrong sitting posture caused by the unscientific shape of the backrest and relieve the fatigue of people's spine and shoulders to some extent.

Recently, there is also a scooter for the elderly, which is smaller and cheaper than ordinary cars and safer and more comfortable than motorcycles. The structure is relatively simple, easy to master and operate, and ordinary old people can easily learn. It greatly facilitates the travel of the elderly.

Another example is the wrist rest on the mouse pad, which makes the wrist of people who often use the mouse less tired and improves the comfort of work to some extent. In addition, the adjustment of the steering wheel, the height of the seat and the adjustment before and after are all successful application cases of ergonomics. We can see that ergonomics has affected all aspects of our lives, and successful ergonomics design products will bring great convenience and comfort to people's lives.

But in life, we can also see many examples that are not ergonomic.

For example, we can often see a square lawn, and there is often a slogan "Don't trample on the lawn" at the corner of the lawn, but we can still see that an arc path is often stepped on. When turning, it is obviously more comfortable and natural to take an arc than to take a right angle, so why don't designers design the lawn as an arc at the corner of the road? This not only provides convenience for everyone, but also reduces the chance of trampling on the lawn.

For another example, we often use USB sockets, because the shapes of sockets are different from top to bottom, and most U disks have no obvious signs. So the front and the back are often mistaken, although it is only a small detail in life. However, if we design the USB sockets the same, or display the front and back with obvious signs in the sound field, it will also bring some convenience to everyone's life.

From the above examples, we can really feel the important influence and function of ergonomics in our daily life. And found that many inconvenient designs in life are not ergonomic. Therefore, in the process of mechanical design, we should keep the concept of ergonomics in mind and design products that conform to ergonomics, which will better meet the requirements of today's society for design.