The study of error chains is an important area of research from the perspectives of basic human factors and the prevention of critical accidents. In this article, an error chain is defined as a phenomenon in which an initial error causes changes in emotion or cognition, which in turn leads to a subsequent error. Numerous studies have examined the latter half of the error chain—that is, how emotional or cognitive changes influence the occurrence of errors. However, relatively few studies have focused on the initial half of the error chain, which explores how the first error induces emotional or cognitive changes. To comprehensively understand error chains, it is necessary to increase research on the chain’s initial half and integrate findings from both halves. Furthermore, in experimental studies on error chains, it is essential to control the occurrence of errors adequately. Addressing these challenges is expected to advance the study of error chains.

Conflicting interests among stakeholders often make problem-solving challenging, underscoring the importance of constructing a shared vision. For instance, the beneficiaries of science and education are not only children and families, but they also play a crucial role in the future development of the nation. Therefore, it can be argued that the entire country qualifies as a stakeholder. In the field of transportation, it is crucial to reconcile the differing interests of stakeholders such as pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. An ideal vision, like Sweden’s Vision Zero, which prioritizes the safety of human lives, offers a highly acceptable framework for all stakeholders. Japan’s experience in achieving zero traffic fatalities serves as a valuable example of the feasibility of fostering a shared understanding among stakeholders and provides insight into constructing visions for addressing future challenges.

During endoscopy, endoscopists hold an endoscope in their left hand for long periods of time to control it. However, the high physical load of the endoscopic operating posture raises concerns about the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in many endoscopists. In particular, the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of the left shoulder has been found to correlate with the cumulative time of prolonged procedures. In this study, we developed a pelvic-mounted left arm support to reduce the physical load on endoscopists without altering the procedural environment or posture. The study revealed that the support could reduce approximately 48％ of subjective discomforts on the left shoulder during endoscopy maneuvers.

Patients with allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, hay fever, and asthma often suffer from disrupted sleep due to symptoms like coughing, nasal congestion, and itching. These symptoms are influenced by environmental factors such as allergens, temperature, and humidity. However, conventional methods of air conditioning for entire residential spaces are not always efficient. This study proposes a method that focuses on managing the air environment within an individual’s bed space during sleep. Specifically, an inflatable structure sized for a single bed was developed to create a personal space, where purified air with controlled temperature and humidity is supplied and monitored in real time. Experimental results demonstrated that employing an insulated inflatable structure allows the use of standard household appliances to achieve target levels for air purification, humidification, and heating within one hour. However, challenges remain in implementing a compact cooling system using Peltier elements.

The study focused on the handle load applied by children with cerebral palsy during walker use and observed body movements during walking. Three children （two girls and one boy） with cerebral palsy, aged eight to nine years, participated in this study. They were classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System level III. The walking tasks included to-and-fro walking, right turns, left turns, and figure-of-eight walking. The handle load and the load center were calculated from the strain values measured at the fixed ends of the left and right handles of the proposed walker. During straight-line walking, each child’s walking posture and physical characteristics influenced the results, with the maximum handle load being less than half the body weight. However, during turning, handle loads exceeding the body weight occurred when the child lowered the raised handle. For two girls, the load center shifted towards the right handle.

In visual search tasks, interfering stimuli capture attention and influence target finding. Information processing in the left and right visual fields differs, and visual search performance should be examined about the visual field and eccentricity. The study investigated the effects of disturbing stimuli presented at three eccentricities （10°, 20°, and 30°） under different perceptual loads on attentional capture from reaction times. An interaction between the visual field, perceptual load, and eccentricity was observed. Reaction times were longer in the right visual field than in the left visual field at 10° and 30° and shorter in the left visual field at 20° in the low perceptual load condition. In the high perceptual load condition, the left visual field was longer than the right visual field at 10° and 30°. Regarding eccentricity, in the low perceptual load condition, reaction times were longer in the right visual field at 10° and 30° than at 20°, and the opposite for the left visual field. In the high perceptual load condition, no significant differences in reaction time with eccentricity were observed in the right visual field, while in the left visual field, 20° was shorter than 10° or 30°. Attention capture was the result of the combined effects of several factors. It reveals hemispheric asymmetries in the brain regarding spatial attention.

In this study, we conducted a basic study to determine whether notification sounds can effectively guide users’ attention to information displayed on a monitor screen by emitting sounds from the direction of the relevant information. In the experiment, the letter search task was conducted in two conditions: with and without the notification sounds. The results indicated that notification sounds can effectively guide attention and reduce cognitive load, thus supporting information retrieval by emitting sounds from the direction of the relevant information.

Vehicle driving skills are crucial for both road safety and driving enjoyment, necessitating accurate assessment and evaluation. Conventional evaluation methods using simple sensors, such as those in smartphones, are limited to assessing basic operations, making it challenging to evaluate complex maneuvers. This study developed a new index for comprehensive evaluation, including the timing of operations and integrated actions in lateral and longitudinal directions. An acceleration and angular velocity sensor, similar to those found in smartphones, was used to analyze individual driving performance on winding roads. Analysis sections were established for each curve based on changes in vehicle yaw rate. Kernel density images were generated from time, yaw angular acceleration, and longitudinal jerk data. These images were used to calculate the average similarity with a skilled driver group, and a method was devised to classify a vehicle as skillfully driven if it exceeded a threshold value. The effectiveness of this method was verified through experiments using both test course and public road data, confirming high classification performance.