In this paper we propose a novel wearable interface called “ActiveBelt” that enables users to obtain multiple directional information with the tactile sense. Since the information provided by the tactile sense is relatively unobtrusive, it is suited for daily use in mobile environments. However, many existing systems don’t transmit complex information via the tactile sense. Most of them send on...

In this paper, a flexible robotic assembly system with decentralized architecture is presented. The system is designed to achieve high reconfigurability so that it can adapt to changes in manufacturing environment; a new robot can be easily installed to the system and execute assembly tasks immediately, together with other devices. For easier reconfiguration, a semi-automated calibration method...

Seat belt interaction with a far-side occupant's shoulder and thorax is critical to governing excursion towards the struck-side of the vehicle in side impact. In this study, occupant-to-belt interaction was simulated using a modified MADYMO human model and finite element belts. Quasi-static tests with volunteers and dynamic sled tests with PMHS and WorldSID were used for model validation and co...

BACKGROUND Safety belt use is 80% nationally, yet only 63% in Massachusetts. Safety belt use among potentially at-risk groups in Boston is unknown. We sought to assess the prevalence and correlates of belt non-use among emergency department (ED) patients in Boston. METHODS A cross-sectional survey with systematic sampling was conducted on non-urgent ED patients age > or = 18. A closed-ended s...

OBJECTIVES Traffic crashes are a leading cause of deaths and injuries in Pakistan. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 30,131 people die in road crashes annually on Pakistani roads (WHO 2013). The use of seat belts can be effective in reducing road crash fatalities in Pakistan but under existing seat belt laws, seat belt use is mandatory only for drivers and is limi...

Front-seat safety belt use in the United States (US) was 80 percent in June, 2004. This rate represents the highest ever for the US, but indicates that there is still a sizable minority of people who do not always use safety belts despite mandatory seat belt laws in all but one state. Changing the behavior of these people will require new and innovative countermeasures. Little research has syst...

OBJECTIVE Injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are a major challenge to the Jamaican healthcare system. In November 1999, Jamaica enacted legislation to make seat belt usage in motor vehicles compulsory. The effect of this policy change on seat belt usage is unclear. This study therefore sought to determine the prevalence of seat belt usage and to determine the association betwe...

Nbody simulations are used to examine the consequences of Neptune’s outward migration into the Kuiper Belt, with the simulated endstates being compared rigorously and quantitatively to the observations. These simulations confirm the findings of Chiang et al. (2003), who showed that Neptune’s migration into a previously stirred–up Kuiper Belt can account for the Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) known ...