Effects of learning kitchen knife operation through "visualization" of knife skills

Abstract

Purpose:

In the workplace where dietitians work, knife operation and technical skills are required. However, some entering students who aim to become dietitians are not good at knife operation. Therefore, as an educational institution, we are required to improve their operating skills through practical training, but due to coronavirus infection, they were unable to receive adequate training.

Our research team has attempted to "visualize" knife operation using MEMS motion sensors. By using this method, we can find the characteristics of each individual's knife operation. We thought that this would make it possible to provide objective guidance by clarifying the issues to be examined by each individual.

Methods

Operating characteristics were measured using a kitchen knife with a MEMS motion sensor attached for first-year students of the junior college. The individual characteristics observed in the recorded data were fed back to the students so that they could confirm their own specific issues, and based on the content of the instruction, which was reviewed in comparison with the characteristics of skilled workers and the content of the interview regarding knife operation, step-by-step instruction and practice were conducted. The results were compared with those before the instruction, and the effectiveness of the instruction was verified.

Results.

In the data before the learners' instruction, the roll axis movement tended to be larger than the pitch axis movement, but after the instruction, many of the learners showed a larger pitch/roll ratio. In addition, the characteristics that changed for all 12 learners before and after the instruction were that the pitch motion occurred behind the knife handle and that the blurring was reduced by pushing the knife forward while cutting, indicating a change in the learners' knife operation and awareness, which approached that of the skilled learners' data.