Abstract
The constrained posture used for work with a visual display terminal (VDT), such as data entry, can produce static muscular fatigue. We conducted an experiment using a prototype VDT chair designed with an arm-rest adjustable to heights from 22-28cm. The experiment—conducted to assess the work load based on varying heights of the armrest and distance from the keyboard—was performed on five male subjects. The keyboard was placed at 0cm or 8cm from the frontal edge of the desk. The subjects were required to type characters displayed in random sequences on CRT with both hands.
Results revealed that EMG activities and error rate decreased with the arm-rests height adjusted according to the subjects'. But some experimental conditions, using the arm-rests increased the EMG activities compared with the without arm-rest condition. The result suggests that VDT chair with adjustable arm-rests is effective in reducing the muscular fatigue.
