ErgoExposure can be used for systematic assessment of a persons ergonomic exposure of the shoulder and/or elbow joint in everyday life, something that today is usually done through observational studies directly at a workplace. This is made possible by making a comprehensive illustration of a long-term measurement of the joint angle/s in question. The illustration is done by performing an Exposure Variance Analysis, previously used for analyzing of physiological signals (e.g., EMG). With this method, one can illustrate both within which angular intervals the arm has moved, and whether the movement has been static or dynamic. Also, the app integrates with the Health app if an Apple Watch is paired with the iPhone. The ability to collect heart rate is added since it can be a factor that affects a persons ergonomic exposure, that is if a person gets tired due to heavy work, it can also affect the ergonomic exposure on the shoulder. In addition, number of steps taken and walked distance are measured during data collection together with the measurement location since that also affects the physical load during work.
How to use (an interactive manual also exists in the app)
1. Create and select an observation (provided a previous one is not to be used)
2. Click on the + sign at the top right to start a measurement opportunity. Now a measurement guide will start which will guide you through the measurement procedure (also seen in the app screenshots). In short as follows:
• Select which sensors to use during the measurement and which sample frequency to use.
• Choose which arm to study (left or right).
• Place the phone and apple watch (if used) on the arm to be studied using a sports bracelet.
• Assume starting position - arms still along the sides (vertically downwards), with thumbs pointing forward.
• Start the measurement.
• Stop the measurement when it is finished, and press Save to keep it.
3. Now is the measurement seen in the measurement list.
4. To view the measurement result, click on the measurement in the list.
5. The measurement result can then be exported by clicking on the up arrow at the top right.
Notice:
ErgoExposure has a time limit that prohibits data collection for more than 60 minutes (i.e. if the user does not press stop during a measurement procedure, the data collection will automatically stop the measurement. The time limit is set to 15 minutes if an Apple Watch is used during data collection.
To avoid problems that may occur with auto-updates of apps, be sure to turn off auto-update of apps in your iPhone’s settings. Only update manually after you have made a proper backup/export of your measurements that you want to keep. The developer takes no responsibility for problems that have arisen where measurements have disappeared or become corrupt.