AHFE Open AccessHuman Dynamics, Product Evaluation and Quality
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Influence of simulated ship motion on human-computer interaction at a multi-display workstation
Users at computer centred workspaces aboard ships often deal with high information rates from different sources. Those information sources may include various sensor data as well as visual and acoustical input. Therefore, setups with multiple displays and input devices are beneficial. Usually, such workspaces are built and evaluated in static environments, not regarding the influence of realistic ship motion. However, this motion may affect the user in different ways. Externally induced motion may impair motor skills or cognitive skills and possibly will cause motion sickness. The aim of this study is the assessment of a multi-display workstation setup for use on vessels by determining the influence of simulated ship motion on performance of human-computer interaction, focussing on motor skills. For that reason, we built a simulator consisting of a multi-display setup and a motion simulation platform. For this system we designed three realistic ship motion profiles. We expect different motion related impact on motor skills depending on the externally induced motion direction, e.g. wave direction relative to the ship. Therefore, we used motion profiles limited to motion on a single axis to obtain one pitching and one rolling motion. The third motion profile consists of almost no motion which is used as control condition. Additionally, we created simple tasks to investigate the performance of mouse and touch interaction as these types of interaction address motor skills. In a repeated measures design n=18 experts (aged 35,3 ± 6,9 years, 15 male, 3 female) performed tasks under three different motion conditions. The results of a multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measures show a significant impact of motion on mouse interaction time (p < 0,01). Post-test showed differences between pitching and low motion (p < 0,01) as well as pitching and rolling (p = 0,019). For the minimum touch button size, no significant impact was found, but there was a slight indication of motion-related impact (p = 0,051). According to the naval experts the simulated motion is generally realistic, albeit quite uniform. Thus stronger, less uniform motion profiles may intensify motion related performance degradation. Therefore, studies with intensified motion profiles are planed as well as including additional tasks provoking higher mental workload, e.g. by using more complex tasks.
Karla Hohwieler, Jessica Conradi
Open Access
Article
Conference Proceedings
Communication quality assessment of an augmented reality system for remote support in intensive care medicine
Augmented reality (AR) systems can provide remote expert support for safety-critical intensive care workflows. Patient safety depends on reliable audiovisual communication; poor transmission may increase mental workload, reduce comprehension, and promote errors. Because systematic evidence on AR communication performance is limited, we evaluated an AR remote-support system and its clinical suitability. We assessed audio quality, end-to-end latency, and audiovisual synchrony using subjective and objective measures. In a user study (n=10), participants listened to standardized speech under typical intensive-care background noise and rated intelligibility, naturalness, noise perception, listening effort, and overall quality on a five-point Mean Opinion Score (MOS). Latencies were measured with a test signal containing synchronous visual and acoustic markers; sender and receiver views were recorded and aligned using an atomic clock. Marker analysis yielded audio and video latencies under two network conditions; audiovisual synchrony was computed as their difference. Bitrate, packet loss, and jitter were logged and combined with latency measures into an objective MOS. Participants rated audio quality as good (MOS 4.28/5). Audio latencies were 149 (±91) ms and 167 (±60) ms; video latencies were 156 (±64) ms and 186 (±44) ms. Audiovisual synchrony was -10 (±76) ms and 38 (±65) ms. All latencies were below the 250 ms teleconsultation threshold, and synchrony remained within the −188 to 75 ms tolerance for action-oriented tasks, indicating no perceptible asynchronies. The objective MOS was 3.86, corroborating the subjective ratings. Overall, the system meets communication requirements for telemedical remote support and is suitable for pilot clinical deployment.
Simon König, Lucas Seider, Claus Backhaus
Open Access
Article
Conference Proceedings
How Does Green Packaging Create Product Benefits? Data Analysis Applying Grounded Theory
In retail, product packaging often shapes consumers' first impressions and critically influences purchase decisions. Green packaging communicates value that goes far beyond functionality. This study clarifies the product equity embedded in green packaging, defines each equity attribute, and consolidates corresponding measurement questionnaires. Using grounded theory content analysis, the findings indicate: (1) Green packaging benefits comprise two categories: Product Meaning and Emotional Value. (2) Products are perceived as green and sustainable when their packaging evokes three consumer emotions: satisfaction, trust, and self-association. (3) Questionnaire items for measuring these benefits were systematically organized.
Regina W. Y. Wang, Jiacheng Wang
Open Access
Article
Conference Proceedings
Design of Phase Change Material Integrated Firefighters’ Turnout Gear Considering Moisture Content Effects in Heat and Post-Heat Exposure
Phase change materials (PCMs) have been widely used for thermal management due to their ability to absorb, store, and release heat during phase transitions (typically between solid and liquid states). This study explores the enhanced thermal protection of turnout gear with integrated PCMs in various moisture conditions. A unique 3D turnout-gear-equipped manikin thermal model was developed, and heat and moisture transfer simulations were conducted under both heat and post-heat exposure scenarios. The effects of moisture concentration (MC) levels (ranging from 0% to 100% water added) in turnout gear fabrics were simulated. Results showed that MC impacted thermal protection during heat exposure, with the shortest protection times occurring for PCM-integrated gear at MC levels between 30% and 60% compared to MC from 0% to 100%. However, MC had minimal impact on thermal performance during post-heat exposure. A 2-mm-thick PCM segment was found to be the optimal choice, balancing both thermal protection during heat exposure and efficient cooling during post-heat exposure.
Susan Xu, Weihuan Zhao
Open Access
Article
Conference Proceedings
Optimizing Garment Material Selection to Reduce Solar Heat Radiation Exposure
Workers exposed to high levels of solar radiation are at elevated risk of heat-related disorders, with infrared (IR) radiation representing a significant external heat load that can exacerbate physiological heat strain. Protective clothing is widely used to mitigate solar exposure; however, reductions in IR transmission may be counteracted by IR absorption and heat accumulation within garment materials, potentially increasing overall heat stress. To clarify these competing mechanisms, controlled laboratory experiments were conducted to independently quantify IR transmission and IR-induced heat absorption for cotton, polyester, cotton/polyester blend, silk, paper, and Mylar materials. Temperature measurements be-neath and in direct contact with each material allowed separation of transmitted radiative heat from conductive heat resulting from material IR absorption. The conventional textile fabrics tested exhibited net increases in thermal burden, with net heat gains of up to 50%, despite partial attenuation of incident IR radiation. In contrast, the reflective Mylar material produced a net reduction in heat exposure of about 15% by substantially limiting IR absorption while reflecting incident radiation. These findings demonstrate that reduced IR transmission alone is an insufficient indicator of thermal protection and underscore the importance of minimizing IR absorption in garment design. The experimental methodology presented pro-vides a practical and reproducible framework for evidence-based evaluation and selection of garment materials aimed at reducing solar IR heat stress in occupational outdoor environments.
Uwe Reischl, Budimir Mijovic
Open Access
Article
Conference Proceedings
Ergonomics and Human Factors Awareness Among Textile and Fashion Design Department Students
It has become a necessity for students to know the basic concepts of ergonomics and work physiology, and to be knowledgeable about ergonomic arrangements and work environment designs in the workplace, as they will play an active role in the future of working life. In this context, ergonomics knowledge is extremely important, especially for the textile and fashion industry, which plays a significant role in the economic development of countries and is one of the most labor-intensive sectors. Since textile and fashion design education requires intensive manual dexterity, prolonged sitting, standing, and repetitive movements, the concept of ergonomics is of great importance to students. Ergonomics awareness refers to students' ability to properly organize their work environments, equipment use, and body posture in terms of health, productivity, and comfort. Studies show that students who lack sufficient knowledge of ergonomics more frequently experience problems such as musculoskeletal disorders, fatigue, and loss of concentration. Conversely, students with high ergonomic awareness show increased work performance, reduced physical strain, and the prevention of long-term occupational health risks. Therefore, integrating ergonomics awareness into the curriculum of textile and fashion design education is considered an important requirement for instilling healthy work habits at an early age. In this context, the aim of this study is to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and awareness levels of textile and fashion design students regarding ergonomics. Within this scope, data was collected using a scale designed to determine students' ergonomic awareness levels, and their awareness status was revealed.
Özlem Kaya
Open Access
Article
Conference Proceedings
A Review of the Application and Development of Chinese Ethnic Symbolism in Intelligent Fabric Design
From a design perspective, this paper reviews literature and practical cases, categorizing the application of ethnic symbols in smart textile design into three types: static expression, dynamic interaction, and functional narrative. Through analysis of typical cases including digital inheritance of Yi embroidery and cultural wearables, the study reveals an evolving trend from formal borrowing to meaning construction. By comparing Western and Asian research paradigms, this paper proposes establishing a smart textile design framework based on cultural ontology, promoting the transformation of ethnic symbols from decorative elements to meaning carriers.The evolution of textiles is, in a sense, a history of the continuous redefinition of the relationship between humans and objects. In primitive societies, the weaving of plant fibers addressed the fundamental needs for shelter and warmth. The Industrial Revolution subsequently propelled textiles toward large-scale standardization through mechanized production. Since the 1990s, however, as breakthroughs were achieved in flexible electronics, nanomaterial science, and Internet of Things (IoT) communications, textiles have acquired an unprecedented capacity: the ability to sense, respond, and interact.Yet, as technical developers concentrate on functional realization and performance optimization, a fundamental design dilemma has begun to surface. This issue is rooted not in technology, but in value: as a form of intimate attire, smart textiles share a far more profound bond with the wearer than smartphones or smartwatches. When a fabric can sense body temperature, monitor heart rate, or respond to touch, it effectively permeates the boundaries of the body. Within such an intimate relationship, purely technical functionality is insufficient to satisfy the wearer's deep-seated needs for identity, cultural belonging, and emotional connection. Smart textiles must transcend their status as mere technological carriers to become mediators of cultural significance and emotional value.The integration of ethnic symbols serves as a strategic response to this demand. These symbols represent visual expression systems distilled through the historical evolution of specific cultural groups. Distributed across all facets of production and daily life, ethnic symbols serve as representative markers and perform various practical functions within minority societies. Consequently, the synthesis of these symbols constitutes a profound cultural phenomenon and a vital branch of minority culture; the preservation of these symbols is, in essence, the inheritance of the culture itself [1]. From the geometric patterns of Chinese Miao batik to Indian Lambani embroidery, and from the Japanese kimono crests (Kamon) to the color coding of African Kente cloth, these symbols carry historical memory, aesthetic preferences, and value systems, functioning as potent markers of identity. However, under the pressures of globalization, market demand, and fashion trends, these ethnic palettes have begun to simplify, gravitating toward a homogenized aesthetic [2]. In the pursuit of commercialization, certain design elements have been weakened or distorted, leading to a gradual erosion of cultural depth [3].The responsive properties of smart materials can serve as the "innovative element" required to reconstruct the meaning of traditional symbols. The alienation of the younger generation from traditional crafts, the conflict between manual production and industrial efficiency, and the tension between local culture and global consumption have created a structural predicament for the contemporary fate of ethnic symbols. How to activate these cultural resources within the context of technological innovation—granting them new modes of existence and pathways for dissemination—has become a contemporary imperative for the design discipline and serves as the logical starting point of this paper.By systematically reviewing existing research and practices, this paper aims to reveal the internal logic of merging ethnic symbols with smart textiles. It analyzes design strategies and the divergent effects of various application types, ultimately exploring the possibility of methodological construction within this interdisciplinary field.
Li Yuan
Open Access
Article
Conference Proceedings
Generative AI in Clothes Design: A Scoping Review of Workflows, Challenges, and Future Pathways
The clothes design and development sector is under growing pressure to accelerate workflows as product lifecycles shrink. Generative AI (GenAI), driven by diffusion models, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), and Large Language Models (LLMs), is reshaping this process, yet existing studies often examine individual tools in isolation, overemphasise 2D visual outputs, and largely overlook real-world production. Following PRISMA-ScR, this scoping review examines 57 peer-reviewed articles on AI-assisted clothes design from Web of Science and Scopus (2021–2026), spanning computer science, HCI, textile engineering, and design. Studies cluster in early stages: ideation (29.8%) and sketch rendering (35.1%) make up nearly two-thirds, while physical-engineering stages combined (pattern-making and fabric visualization) account for only 24.5%, with pattern-making and structural design alone at 10.5%. This imbalance reveals a visual-engineering disconnect: AI still struggles to produce production-ready structures. To synthesize these insights, the review proposes a comprehensive diagram identifying four systemic challenges, future pathways, and stage-specific design implications.
Jiayi Chen, Xingting Wu
Open Access
Article
Conference Proceedings
Innovation in Design for Sustainability
The intensification of ecological crises, resource scarcity, and social inequalities compels design to fundamentally redefine its role, methods, and criteria for innovation. This article argues that innovation in design can no longer be understood as the mere creation of new artifacts, but rather as the capacity to reconfigure systems of production, consumption, and disposal. Based on the widely recognized premise that the majority of the environmental impacts of products and services are determined during the design phase, the designer is repositioned as a strategic agent in the transition toward sustainable socio-economic models.Within this context, the article examines the synergistic articulation of four complementary approaches: Ecodesign, as an analytical foundation oriented toward life-cycle thinking; Circular Design, focused on redefining business models and material flows; Biodesign, which incorporates biological principles and processes; and Human-Centered Design (HCD), responsible for ensuring social, cultural, and ethical relevance. It is argued that the transdisciplinary integration of these approaches constitutes an emerging paradigm of systemic innovation in design, in which success is assessed according to interdependent environmental, social, and economic criteria, thereby demanding new professional competencies and expanded forms of collaboration.
Catarina Carreto, Rui Carreto
Open Access
Article
Conference Proceedings
DigiKnitting: Enabling Knitting in 3D
Volumetric knitting is an emerging additive manufacturing technique that combines the layer-by-layer logic of 3D printing with the interlocking loop structure of knitting. Unlike conventional knitting, which is largely limited to 2D manifold structures comprising of flat or hollow forms, volumetric knitting enables the production of solid volumetric three-dimensional textile structures from a single continuous yarn without knots, adhesives, or assembly. Similar to traditional knitted fabrics, these structures can be completely constructed from a monomaterial and conversely, are fully reversible, creating a fully monomaterial system with the potential for near-complete material recovery and recycling.These characteristics offer potential advantages in the context of growing environmental challenges and increasingly stringent sustainability regulations. In particular, the European Union’s Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles aims to transform the textile sector by 2030. Volumetric knitting may represent a response to these demands by enabling textile structures that are inherently compatible with circular design principles, and end of life retrieval. A digital representation of volumetric knitting in combination with machine instructions creates opportunities for on-demand production and mass customization, allowing stitch topologies to be adapted to specific functional or ergonomic requirements. Furthermore, because the material can be undone and re-knitted into a new geometry, volumetric knitted products can be reconfigured throughout their lifecycle, behaving more like update-able digital file than fixed physical object.Despite this potential, this technology remains in an early stage of development. This paper addresses key barriers to its wider adoption through a Research through Design (RtD) approach focused on improving the digital manufacturability of volumetric knitting. The research contributes to fields of software design and fabrication methods.First, an open-source digital design platform was developed to support the visualisation and design of volumetric knit structures, lowering the cognitive barriers associated with creating three-dimensional knit paths. Second, a fabrication system and a mechanical tool was designed to improve reproducibility and explore pathways toward future automation. The resulting prototype demonstrates the feasibility of producing solid knitted volumes through a structured process. Together, these contributions form an integrated framework in which digital design and fabrication methods reinforce one another. By providing open-source tools, methodologies, and design guidelines, this paper contributes to the democratization and future industrialization of volumetric knitting as a novel form of additive textile manufacturing, while supporting further research into sustainable and circular textile production.
Diego Fabri, Stijn Verwulgen, Jouke Verlinden
Open Access
Article
Conference Proceedings