An Ergonomic Study on Long-Press Performance of Foot Pedals in Human-Machine Interaction Applications

As a critical device for human-machine interaction, the performance of foot pedals significantly influences interaction efficiency. This study investigates the factors affecting long-press operation performance for foot pedals based on ergonomic principles. Experiments were conducted to compare the performance of two optimal pedal combinations across four long-press durations, measuring reaction time, error rate, and subjective user workload. The results indicate that long-press duration has a significant impact on Release Reaction Time (RRT), with RRT notably increasing beyond 3 seconds. Both combinations demonstrated error rates below 3% and low levels of subjective workload. For highfrequency operational scenarios, Combination $I$ is recommended; conversely, Combination II is more suitable for rapid-switching contexts, with an ideal long-press duration limited to 2 seconds to optimize performance. This research contributes valuable insights into pedal design in smart manufacturing, medical robotics, and autonomous driving.