Application of infrared thermography in ergonomical handle design

The contour of a handle surface plays a decisive role when it comes to the adaptation of the grip to the human hand. With a large contact surface the pressure can be distributed to a large area of the palm. But also the design of the handle's shape must take into consideration the physiological facts of the hand in order to avoid contact spots with high contact pressure. Pressures on the handle surface can be measured with a pressure distribution mat. But such a mat can only be used on simple surfaces due to its structural shape. This article presents a simple procedure to determine the contact surfaces between hand and handle. This procedure is based on the measuring of the temperature transmission from hand to handle after a grip contact with the help of an infrared thermographic camera. By means of the comparison of two walking cane handles (Fischer and KDOG) the procedure is being described and an evaluation of quality and quantity is being presented. Considering the size of the contact surface of eight test persons it becomes visible that the ergonomic design of a handle is to be preferred to the anatomic design.