Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics (OEB) Laboratories
Our Motto
UT PROSIM THAT I MAY SERVE
Welcome to the Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics Laboratories
The Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics (OEB) Laboratories conduct work in theoretical and applied ergonomics, occupational biomechanics, and work physiology, primarily relating to worksite, workstation, and equipment evaluation and design. Specifically, research is focused on:
- Biomechanics of the human body (modeling, strength, motions, and working postures);
- Human engineering of systems, equipment, tools, workstations, and work tasks;
- Ergonomic design for safety, efficiency, and performance.
Major application domains for the work in the laboratories are manufacturing, construction, and healthcare. The Laboratories consist of several rooms, which are used as needed for research, development, and evaluation. Those Laboratories are well equipped to do research in a variety of areas.
New article Evaluating back-support exoskeletons in simulated construction-relevant tasks: Effects on task completion time and aspects of usability by Sunwook Kim, Maury Nussbaum, and two former students, Wally Morris and Aanu Ojelade, was published in Applied Ergonomics. (October 2025)
Three OEB Labs Ph.D. students earned top honors in the graduate poster competition at the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) 2025 Region VI Conference:
1st place winner: Ahmad Raza Usmani
"Effects of Lift Assists on Physical Demands and User Perceptions in Automotive Assembly Tasks"
2nd place winner: Mohammad Sadra Rajabi
"Classifying Manual Material Handling Tasks Using Vision Language Models"
Consolation prize: Feyisayo Akinwande
"Effects of Two Passive Back-Support Exoskeletons on Physical Demands and User Perceptions in Simulated Manual Mining Tasks"
Congratulations to Ahmad, Sadra, and Feyi on this achievement! (September 2025)
Recent publications by Michael Madigan have been added to the Peer-Reviewed Journal Papers database (September 2025):
- Wrist-worn voice recorders capture the circumstances and context of losses of balance among community-dwelling older adults in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
- Sternum drop during trip recovery differs between the laboratory and real world – An exploratory pilot study in PLoS One
- Sternum drop as a kinematic measure of trip recovery performance in Journal of Biomechanics
- Inertial measurement units worn on the dorsum of the foot and proximal to the ankle can provide valid slip recovery measures in Gait & Posture
- Head kinematics of human subjects during laboratory-induced ladder falls to the ground in Journal of Safety Research
New article Optimizing passive exoskeleton torque for dynamic overhead work: Phase-specific analysis on muscle activity and perceived exertion by Sunwook Kim and Maury Nussbaum was published in Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. (September 2025)
PhD candidate and OEB Labs member Ahmad Raza Usmani was featured on VT Video discussing his research project - check it out! (August 2025)
Optimizing material handling devices for assembly line workers (1:48)
New article User Experiences and Adoption Factors for a Back-Support Exosuit in Automotive Logistics: Results from Field Testing up to 18 Months by Sunwook Kim and Maury Nussbaum was published in IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors. (August 2025)
Hanjun Park, a Ph.D. candidate, successfully defended his dissertation "Characterizing human motor adaptation and learning to using different occupational exoskeletons." He will begin his academic career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing & Systems Engineering at Texas Tech University. Congratulations, Dr. Park! (August 2025)
The OEB Lab Co-Directors have recently been appointed to prestigious faculty fellowships and a professorship.
- Sol Lim has been appointed to the Grado Early Career Faculty Fellow (posted on Virginia Tech News)
- Michael Madigan has been appointed to the Grado Senior Faculty Fellow (Virginia Tech News)
- Maury Nussbaum has been appointed to the John Grado Professorship (Virginia Tech News)
Congratulations, Sol, Mike, and Maury! What an amazing year for the OEB Lab students and faculty! (originally posted in June 2025; updated in August 2025)
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