Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Human factors and ergonomics (HF a lack of well-trained highly qualified personnel (HQP) with expertise in DHM, and a lack of fundamental knowledge on the validity and sensitivity of DHMs to elicit realistic movement behaviour predictions under changing person (e.g., gender, body mass, etc.) and task (e.g., body-borne load, encumbrance) related constraints. This program of research applies a constraints-based theoretical framework and novel movement characterization approach to advance our fundamental knowledge about how person and task related factors influence movement behaviours in an occupational context. Moreover, by integrating empirical and computational (DHM) evidence, my HQP and I will determine if movement behaviours are adjusted, when constrained by person and task factors, by tuning performance objectives.Currently, our Canadian Armed Forces have limited information available to inform decisions about what type of equipment soldiers should wear, how much load they can carry, or what type of body armour is most effective to optimize soldier effectiveness while minimizing solder burden (i.e., biomechanical consequences associated with injury). In the next five years, my team and I will systematically uncover how person and task related factors affect movement behaviors, using tasks relevant to military as a starting point. This knowledge can be applied to tune and validate the performance objectives that drive DHM--based simulations, or “virtual soldiers”. Validated “virtual soldiers” can be used to proactively identify preferred equipment designs and configurations most likely to optimize solider effectiveness. In addition, my HQP will develop advanced and marketable proficiency in DHM, addressing a current void of DHM expertise in today’s workforce. My HQP will be trained to deploy DHM-based simulations to tackle work-related injury concerns more broadly across sectors including healthcare, manufacturing and service sectors.