Human factors engineering is a multidisciplinary field dedicated to improving efficiency and productivity and reducing injuries and disorders, as well as to issues associated with usability, comfort, organisational design, etc.
To achieve these goals, it is often critical to understand human physical capabilities, including range of motion (ROM), muscle strength and fatigue, and the individual and environmental factors that affect them. Such knowledge is also important for rehabilitation science and related fields, as the prompt recovery of physical capabilities is essential for patients (e.g. to improve their quality of life and return quickly to work).
In recent decades, there has been a substantial increase in our abilities to solve ROM-related problems, such as reachability, due to the development of advanced, multi-joint kinematic theories and methods. On the other hand, existing knowledge regarding muscle strength and fatigue remains inadequate in several respects, and is often limited to single-joint and task-specific levels. This lack of applicable knowledge is largely a result of the inherent complexity of muscle strength and fatigue, and of current limitations in theories and methods for modelling and assessing these aspects of human capabilities.
This special issue will report on the frontiers of research on muscle strength and fatigue, including theories, modelling techniques and assessment methods. New data on muscle strength and fatigue are also considered critical, particularly for purposes of evaluation and design. Articles providing original research, systematic literature reviews and/or overviews of historical and current developments are sought.
Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
- Single- and multi-joint muscle capacity (strength)
- Theories and methods related to modelling multi-joint and/or multi-planar muscle strength
- Experimental and analytic methods for muscle force assessment, particularly under submaximal exertion conditions
- Prediction of muscle strength based on anatomical features of muscles including cross-sectional area, fiber pennation angle and moment arm, and their changes with varying joint angles and exertion levels
- Quantitative analyses of muscle strength differences between healthy and physically impaired populations
- Novel working definitions of fatigue at the joint and whole body levels that are suitable for workplace implementation
- Fatigue assessment and/or measurement, both locally and globally (whole body)
- Theories and methods for fatigue modelling, including data-driven, physiology-based and phenomenological (parameter-based) approaches
- Prediction and control of fatigue in the workplace, for tasks involving either simple (e.g. prolonged static) or more complex (e.g. repetitive, intermittent) exertions
- Prediction and control of fatigue in rehabilitation, for treatments involving natural (e.g. exercise) and/or artificial (e.g. functional electrical stimulation) techniques
- Data on muscle fibre-type composition and relevant assessment methods
- Critical review of studies on muscle strength and fatigue for the purposes of meta-analysis, reliability analysis or database generation
Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 15 November, 2013
Notification to authors: 28 February, 2014
Revised versions due: 31 March, 2014
Final versions due: 30 April, 2014
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