Predicting the effects of vibration frequency and axis, and seating conditions on the reading of numeric displays

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Abstract
Ten subjects performed a numeral reading task under five levels of sinusoidal whole-body vibralion at various frequencies in each of the three translational axes. In the z-axis the vibration frequencies were spaced at half octaves between 2-8 and 63 Hz, and in the x and y-axes at half octaves between 2-8 and 32 Hz. All of the vibration conditions were presented with two sealing conditions: hard flat seat with fixed footrcst and a simulated helicopter seat with moving footrest. With both seats the effect of vibration level on reading accuracy was found to be significant at all but the highest frequencies of z-axis vibration. It was also significant for x-axis vibration with the simulated helicopter seat, but not for x-axis vibralion with the flat seat or for y-axis vibration with either seat. Results are presented in the form of equal performance contours.Measures of translational and rotational head motion were also made for each vibration axis and seat. Very little vibration was found to be transmitted to the head during x-axis vibration with the flat seat or y-axis vibration with either seat, in agreement with the small effect of vibration on reading performance in these cases. These results were combined with performance data to investigate the feasibilily of predicting performance decrements directly from head motions.

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