Postural Balance of Kneeling Gaits on Inclined and Elevated Surface for Construction Workers

We present a human postural balance study on quiet stance and kneeling gaits on inclined and high elevated surfaces for construction workers. To simulate the high elevation, an immersive mixed reality environment is built with an actual inclined roof surface to create somatosensory haptic feedback. We quantify the postural balance during quiet kneeling and stance through measurements of the center of pressure and sway motion of the upper-body under various inclined angles and heights. The results of center of pressure and trunk acceleration measurements show smaller postural sway during kneeling compared to standing. A mathematical model is also presented to help understand the experimental results and potentially provide design guidance for further intervention to prevent and mitigate the fall risk for construction workers. The model and controller parameters are optimized to precisely capture and explain the experimental results.