ErgoVR - An approach for automatic data collection for Ergonomics in Design studies

This paper presents a Virtual Reality (VR) system named ErgoVR that has been developed to allow the visualization and evaluation of Human behavioral interaction, with immersive virtual environments, to be used in studies in Ergonomics in Design. ErgoVR is a system that is being developed at Ergonomics Laboratory of Faculdade de Motricidade Humana of Technical University of Lisbon and serves as a tool for two research projects, supported by a grant from the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT). In the first section of the paper is presented a reflection on VR in studies of Ergonomics in Design that justifies the creation of this system. The second section of the paper describes the development of ErgoVR, in particular the definition of its concept and implementation in a User-Centered Design (UCD) perspective. As the most important features of ErgoVR, stands the automatic data collection of variables of behavioral interaction such as: dislocation paths, trajectories, collisions with objects, orientation of the field of view and occurrence of events activated by actions done by the user. ErgoVR is currently being validated with success in studies that are been developed at the Ergonomics Laboratory.