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.
The Americans commander was Israel Putnam, there were 1,500 American Troops, the clothing they would have wore would be shoulder belts, cartridge boxes or some would choose waist-belts made of canvas or leather. The higher officers would wear a short hanger or sword, they would usually keep muskets or light fuels on them while they was on duty.
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.
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...
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 an article by Linda Wells, a professor of contemporary fiction writes, “The soldiers carried things out of necessity: because the object might provide some measure of safety or security, as did the compass, the maps, the artillery, the ponchos, the dry socks; it might comfort them in a time of great fear, as did the letters from home, the photographs of sweethearts, a smooth rock sent by a friend from the Jersey shore” (Wells
On their feet they carried jungle boots—2.1 pounds. O’Brien 2. In this example, after many hours of carrying these supplies, the soldiers would start to break down physically. Fatigue and muscle pain start to cloud their vision and judgment. The weight of the things that they carried had devastating effects on their bodies, but the soldiers had to endure.
Throughout Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, there is a constant theme about all the things that the soldiers carry. In the opening chapter, The Things They Carried, the soldiers are carrying tangible and intangible items. The tangible items included things they carried like mosquito repellant, pocket knives, wound compress, tents, weapons, and ammunition for the purpose of basic survival in the war. As the rank of the soldiers increase, the responsibility that needed to be carried also increases. Being the highest rank, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried the compass, maps, and the soldiers’ lives in his hands. Rat Kiley, the medic, carries the pain medication and malaria tablets to keep the men from getting disease. Besides the survival items,
Soldiers in the Vietnam War had to carry all of their belongings on their bodies with them over great distances of walking, earning Vietnam soldiers the nickname ‘Grunts’. Thus, they tried to limit their already grueling load as much as possible. In Tim O’Brien’s, The Things They Carried, he creates a detailed outline of the items carried by soldiers in the Vietnam War, which were “largely determined by necessity” (2). While most were out of necessity, the soldiers in the text also had many things that were strictly for personal reasons. The soldiers were already weighed down tremendously by their gear and weapons that were necessities, yet they chose to carry around the extra weight of seemingly useless objects. Some people carried objects
Dependent on the individual man, the weight varies based on the physical build and priorities. O’Brien makes reference throughout the story of the imperial weight on the men’s shoulders. For example “Henry Dobbins was a big man, [so] he carried extra rations” (O’Brien 366). Each item recorded has a weight describing it, portraying the physical burden a man must carry for the war. In the beginning, Lt. Jimmy Cross’s 10 ounce letters from Martha were significantly more important to him than the other items of protection. This showed how the weight of one item is not equivalent to its importance. The small weight of Martha’s letters greatly impacted a reason for Cross’ change. Throwing away rations
Unlike infantrymen, who slept and sat on whatever nature provided, officers sometimes had the luxury of furniture. Enlisted men, unlike their officers, had to carry all their belongings on their backs. On long marches, men were unwilling to carry more than the absolute essentials. Even so, the soldiers ended up carrying about 30 to 40 pounds. Each soldier was issued half a tent.
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
During the Vietnam war, soldiers were not exposed to the traditional coping mechanisms of our American society, as illustrated in Tim Obrien's The Things They Carried. These men were forced to discover and invent new ways to deal with the pressures of war, using only their resources while in the Vietnamese jungle. It was not possible for any soldier to carry many items or burdens with them, but if something was a necessity, a way was found to carry it, and coping mechanisms were a necessity to survive the war.
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.
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 ...
Have you ever been in a situation where your joints started to hurt, or maybe you’ve been in a situation where you had a heavy bag to lug around? Well science is on the come up and developing new ways of helping out our bodies. These new inventions are called exo suits and they help by taking weight off of your body. In this essay, I’ll be talking about these exo suits and how they work.