CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this chapter is to provide the finding and literature for support from the previous study which related to the title design of military backpack based on ergonomics perspectives. A review of other relevant studies related to this study is included in this chapter. This chapter is organized in a systematic order so that the reader can review this chapter easily.
2.2 BACKPACK FUNCTIONALITY AND COMFORT
Various previous researches have considered the results of compressive forces around the shoulder muscles when the load is put on. Bryant et al. (2001) found that shoulders support 70% to 80 % of the load and the remaining 20% to 30% is support by lumbar region. This result was found after the loads between 31.8 kg to 33.1 kg were placed on the different parts of the torso. Apart from that, Jones and Hooper (2005) claimed that pressure will remain same regardless the layer of garments and types. The research was done in order to study the effects of wearing clothes below the shoulder straps of the backpack after knowing that straps can cause pressure and discomfort to the army. As have been proven by (Bryant et al. 2001), when pressure is above 20 kPa, 95% of discomfort have been expressed.
Carrying loads everyday is also common for students who carry books in frameless backpacks with one and two shoulder straps, front packs, and double packs (Legg and Cruz 2004; Motmans, Tomlow, and Vissers 2006; Negrini 1999). Traditional backpacks with two shoulder straps can be used in different fashions, such as placing the pack on the front as a front pack or using two traditional backpacks to create a double pack (Motmans, Tomlow, and Vissers 2006). However, the...
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...he straps for the backpack have caused an injury to the shoulder due to the traction and or compression of the C5 and C6 nerve roots of the brachial plexus (Knapik et al., 2004). Large increases in subjective discomfort, particularly in the shoulder and neck region, have also been observed under prolonged load carriage conditions (Drain et al., 2010).
2.6 SUMMARY OF LITERATURE
Based on the literature review and the previous research, backpack load, carrying method and load distribution is important factor to decide the army best performance. Moreover, there are many injuries that related to the usage and improper design of backpack. Therefore, it is essential to redesign the backpack to reduce the problems. Providing soldiers with the best, and safest, equipment for training and combat increases the likelihood of successfully completing a mission.
Wearing headgear has many positives, reducing injuries is the most obvious one and it could be argued that its help reduces the chance of injuries and even death. At an elite level, Chelsea goalkeeper, Petr Cech is convinced that wearing headgear saved him from suffering extended injuries after colliding with Fulham striker Orlando Sa back in September 2011. Headgear offers a form of padding when worn. It allows juniors and elite athlete’s the reduced chance of head wounds. By this it means it allows for less “cracked skulls”, scars, wounds and so on. It gives a stronger protection on the softer part of the skull which is more prone to damage...
“By necessity and because it was in accordance with SOP, they carried steel helmets that weighed five pounds each including the liner and camouflage cover.”
In the literal sense O’Brien talks about what different members of a platoon in Vietnam carried. This helps him to move to a more symbolic sense at the end of the story. He starts by talking about necessities and slowly moves on to what they carried to remind them that there was a world out side of the war. “Among the necessities or near necessities were p-38 can openers, pocket knifes, heat tabs, wrist watches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water.” But as the story moves on it shows other things that were considered necessities to them even though to some one else they might seem a luxury. Such as Kiowa carrying his grandfather’s hatchet. These are obviously not necessities to others but were one for them. In the story the theme of weight kept coming up. Literally he meant the weight of each weapon, ration, and body armor, ECT… “it was SOP for each man to carry a steel-centered, nylon-covered flak jacket, which weight 6.7 pounds…” Weight is used in this story to help show the symbolic meaning of weight later on in the story. “What they carried varied by mission.” Knowing the different dangers throughout the land also added to their burden, making them carry even more such as mosquito netting, machetes, mine detectors, and even things that didn’t have much use such as Kiowa carrying the New Testament and Dave Jensen carrying his night-sight vitamins. All of “The Things They Carried” helped to add to the stress of the war and also help to quell it, they carried what they needed.
The physical items a soldier carries into war may not seem important at first, but they are crucial to the short story “The Things they carried” written by Tim O’Brien. On the surface, the various items are carried along for numerous reasons. Initially, they are largely determined by necessity. After that, they serve partly as a function of rank and field specialty. An item may also present itself as a means of killing or staying alive. Others were determined, to some extent, by superstition. The items also varied according to the mission. However, the soldiers also carried the mental and emotional baggage of men who might die. Similar to the Greek God Atlas, “they carried the sky” (O’Brien 343). Atlas carried the entire weight of the sky on his shoulders. Incidentally, Atlas was also a soldier of war. The mental, emotional and psychological burdens were much heavier than any piece of physical equipment these men carried, much like carrying the weight of the world. That being said, the function of the items that the soldiers carry is to establish power in an unstable environment, but, instead, they reflect the soldiers powerlessness in war fueled by a panoptic society.
...the vast amounts of equipment that has to be carried, it doesn’t amount to the immeasurable weight that is carried on the inside. As O’Brien states “the things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to do” (190), is what weighs the most. Physical loads will change constantly, depending on the mission or task as hand. It’s what’s carried in one’s mind that will never change. It is expected that Lt. Cross will continue to feel the weight of Lavender’s death for the rest of his time, and this is reminiscent of the mental fatigue and anguish that veterans sometimes face. Sometimes, the greatest burdens carried are within. And those loads only get heavier and heavier, sometimes with no relief in sight.
The things they were required to carry depended on the mission, job title, as well as standard necessities. “Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried a compass, maps, code books, binoculars, a .45 caliber pistol, as well as a strobe light.” The RTO (radio transmissions officer) carried a 26lbs PCR-25 radio. The machine gunner carried an M-60 which weighed 23lbs, loaded. All of them carried standard M-16s with around 20 rounds which weighed 17lbs. They carried silent awe for the terrible power of the things weapons they used. “In the heat of early afternoon, they would remove their helmets and flak jackets, walking bare, which was dangerous but which helped ease the strain. They...
Steven Kaplan in his critical essay said that “O’Brien depicts all the “things” that appear in the first chapter in a precise, scientific style”. Meaning that O’Brien shares how much each thing the solider carries weighs either physically or psychologically. For example, “ On their feet they carried jungle boots-2.1-pounds and Dave Jenson carried three pairs of socks and a can of Dr. Scholl’s food powder as a precaution against trench foot”. (Page 114) Also in The Things They Carried, O’Brien mentions how much the artillery weighted right down to the ounce. For example, “ Jimmy Cross carried a compass, maps, a code book, binoculars, and a .45 caliber pistol that weighted 2.9 pounds fully loaded. The reason O’Brien puts the weights into the story is because he wants to show the hardship these soldiers went through and how they pushed through it. This proves the facts and memory interpretation because the things could really weigh that much, but on the other hand the soldiers can think they weight more than normal because of other factors like the heat. For instance, “ It was SOP for each man to carry a steel-centered, nylon-covered flak jacket, which weighted 6.7 pounds, but which on hot days seemed much heavier. (Page 115)
Tim O’Brien writes about both the physical objects they carry as well as their emotional burdens. The objects that these soldiers carry serve as a symbolism for what they are carrying in their hearts and minds. The soldiers carry items varying from pantyhose, medicine, tanning oil, and pictures. Jimmy Cross is an inexperienced sophomore in college, he signs up for the Reserve Officers Training Camp because his friends are doing the course. Jimmy Cross doesn’t want anything to do with the war or anything to do with being a leader. The item that Jimmy Cross carries with him are pictures of his classmate named Martha.
Military bearing is a trademark of the Army and is one of the fundamental reasons we are held in such high regard by the American population and much of the world. Does of the situation in which we find ourselves. Often it is used as a reliable indicator of a Soldier’s pride in their unit, branch of service, or the military in its entirety. The concept of bearing has some aspects that are unique, others that are more overarching and the same across the board. It is vital no matter what rank or position is held. It works generally the same across the branches of service with subtle distinctions. Bearing is not proprietary to the military, as it can be present in any civilian as well. Much of the Army’s bearing and standards can be seen in our
The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines the word "weight" as "a mass or quantity of something taken up and carried, conveyed, or transported." Tim O'Brien's war story The Things They Carried, published in 1990, explores the theme of weight and its importance to men at war in considerable depth. The opening chapter of this book, which was originally written as a short story, is comprised of a collection of lists. O'Brien details for his reader both the physical objects, such as cigarettes, C rations, and packets of Kool-Aid, and the more intangible things, such as fear and silent awe, that weigh these soldiers down. With the amount of space that the author gives to enumerating the weight of these objects, one might assume that these objects are what are really important to these soldiers, but in reality it is the incalculable weight of their spiritual burdens that truly weigh them down.
Throughout the story, the author goes into great detail about the heavy physical loads that the soldiers had to carry with them. Even the way O’Brien describes the many loads seems to grab your attention on the extreme conditions these men had to go through just to survive another day. The most interesting thing I found while reading this story is that even though the soldiers carried a ton of weight around with them, they insisted on carrying as much as possible to insist they were prepared for any given situation. Also, just as we are all different individuals, each soldier carried their own personal things that depended on their own habits and hobbies. Some examples of the necessities the soldiers had to carry with them include, “Among the necessities or near-necessities were P-38 can openers, pockets knives, heat tabs, wrist-watches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C-rations, and two or three canteens of water (O’Brien 125). These were just some of the things these men had to carry with them just to undergo some of the conditions surrounding them. Besides those items I explained things like weapons and magazines made up most of the majority of the weight. What really shocked me at this point is that with all this weight the soldiers had to carry with them, they were expected to be very mobile and able to haul around everything for miles at a time. The only benefit I could possible see coming out of all the things they carried is the protection the backpack gave the soldiers from the spraying of bullets during battle. Other than that, the more the men carried, the more their moral went down under those conditions. I think that the author brilliantly described this story. It was almost like I felt my backpack getting heavier as I was reading on and the items kept increasing. Towards the end of the story I kind of felt just as the soldiers did, weighed down and dead tired.
Imagine walking through a rainy, humid tropical rain forest with forty to fifty pounds of precious luggage strapped to your back wondering where and when the next shot will be fired. Wondering whether or not you will live to see another day of combat with your brothers. American soldiers carried this burden with them every day while in combat during the Vietnam War. In the short story, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, he explains the positive and negative effects of the things that soldiers carried with them during the Vietnam War.
In Chapter one "The Things They Carried", Tim by O'Brien gives deeper meaning to items soldiers were carrying consistently. “The Things They Carried” which takes place in Vietnam during the war time the physical weight humped is emotional and psychological burdens. The purpose and the way O’Brien describes the situation in the chapter tells the reader different aspects and reasons for carrying certain things with them and how they coped with war. The items carried directly correspond to the soldiers’ behaviors. It is directly correspond to the soldiers behaviors. The soldiers adapt to the things they have to deal with by force
First, allowing students to carry backpacks throughout the school day would save everyone time. Since backpacks have multiple compartments, they allow students to carry learning materials like textbooks, calculators, binders, and writing utensils. Students can use backpacks to transport laptops inside dedicated sleeves. As a result, students would waste less time at their lockers searching through debris for assignments and missing homework. Teachers, too, will welcome backpacks when they no longer have to squander valuable minutes writing locker passes. Less locker stops will reduce hallway congestion, expediting travel between classes. Without wasting the teacher’s precious minutes, students can get a drink of water, go to the bathroom, or take care of personal hygiene needs. . Even custodians will appreciate the practicality of backpacks when they are no longer interrupted from their busy jobs to unjam a muddled locker because of cumbersome coats and binders.
According to statistics, motor vehicle accidents are the number one leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths, making up close to 45% and more than quadrupling all other causes. Although these statistics can be overwhelming knowing that driving a motor vehicle on a daily basis comes with a lot of risk, an individuals chance of injury can be lowered by following basic rules of safety. The American Trauma Society believes that the injury rate could be reduced by 50% if people would simply apply existing information about prevention. Wearing a seat belt while riding in a motor vehicle is by far the easiest way to prevent injury and death, and should be done anyhow because it is a federal law to do so. In addition to seat belts, motor vehicles are equipped with air bags, an automatic form of protection designed to reduce the risk of injury. In the past decade, air bags have saved the lives of close to 3,000 people. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted a study of real-world motor vehicle crashes and were able to conclude that the combination of seat belts and air bags is 75% effective in preventing serious head injuries and 66% effective in preventing serious chest injuries. Unfortunately for about 100 people in the past decade, their lives were saved at the expense of suffering a less severe injury caused by the air bag itself. However, when proper air bag safety is applied in conjunction of wearing a seat belt properly, most injuries ...