title: A novel four-caster manual vehicle manoeuvring investigation: Higher loading-weights require larger turning spaces.
abstract: Patient-hoists, goods-trolleys and other omni-directional manually operated vehicles are ubiquitous. Yet no substantive, empirically based dynamic analysis has been made of these four-caster vehicles despite manual handling concerns. A relationship between loading-weight and turning space is indicated by theoretical analysis which further shows that this effect is represented by only 11 different manoeuvres. A qualitative account of the theory is presented. These 11 manoeuvres were implemented experimentally. A total of 17 subjects selected a maximum comfortable loading-weight for the four-caster vehicle for each of the 11 manoeuvres. Vehicle displacement and handle forces were measured for different centres of zero velocity. The median loading-weight of the manoeuvre with the highest loading-weight selections was 101% greater than the mean loading-weight of the three manoeuvres with the lowest loading-weight selections. The manoeuvre with the highest loading-weight selections required a larger vehicle turning space: one dimension increased by 37% (173 mm) compared with the three lowest loading-weight selection manoeuvres and the other dimension increased by 17% (130 mm) compared with one of the lowest loading-weight selection manoeuvres. Higher loading-weights require larger turning spaces. These results can contribute to building designs which facilitate safe manual manoeuvring of four-caster vehicles.
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Newcastle University, UK brian.abraham@newcastle.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Brian B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Newcastle University, UK.
authors.forename: Tom J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Joyce
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Newcastle University, UK.
authors.forename: Robert I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Newcastle University, UK.
authors.forename: Garth R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004867:Equipment Design; D006804:Ergonomics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D008875:Middle Aged; D055805:Moving and Lifting Patients; D056888:Patient Positioning; D058254:Stretchers; D014187:Transportation of Patients
keywords: Caster; loading-weight; manoeuvre; turning space