This paper reports the results of an investigation into changes in body shape anthropometry over the past several decades and discusses the impact of those changes on seating in transport, especially airliners. Changes in some body shape dimensions were confirmed in a sample of students at TU Delft; several of the changes, e.g. hip breadth, seated, are relevant to the ongoing design of seating. No change in buttock knee length was observed. The fit between current user anthropometry and current airline seat design, especially regarding seat width, was investigated. A comparison of the average current seat breadth with global anthropometric data suggests that accommodation may be problematic, with less than optimal width for passengers' shoulder and elbow widths.

No abstract

OBJECTIVE: Tablets and other mobile devices can be tilted during use. This study examined the effect of tablet tilt angles on reading performance, target-tapping performance, wrist and forearm posture, user comfort and users' tilt angle preferences. METHOD: Ten participants used tablets alternating among four different tilt angles: 0 • , 30 • , 45 • , 60 • and a user selected angle. Head, neck, wrist and forearm postural data were collected, along with reading and target-tapping performance. Subjective, perceived impressions were gathered via Likert scale questions. RESULTS: Neck flexion decreased significantly as tilt angle increased. The extreme tilt angles, 0 • and 60 • , were least preferred while the self-chosen tilt angle, averaging about 34 • , was most preferred. Tapping performance was significantly better for the self-chosen tilt angle; however, this may be a practice effect. No effect of tilt was observed on reading performance or for forearm and wrist posture. CONCLUSIONS: Tablet tilt angles should include a range of 20 • to 50 • at minimum.

Saturn’s main ring system is associated with a set of small moons that either are embedded within it or interact with the rings to alter their shape and composition. Five close flybys of the moons Pan, Daphnis, Atlas, Pandora, and Epimetheus were performed between December 2016 and April 2017 during the ring-grazing orbits of the Cassini mission. Data on the moons’ morphology, structure, particle environment, and composition were returned, along with images in the ultraviolet and thermal infrared. We find that the optical properties of the moons’ surfaces are determined by two competing processes: contamination by a red material formed in Saturn’s main ring system and accretion of bright icy particles or water vapor from volcanic plumes originating on the moon Enceladus.

No abstract