A User-friendly Video Camera Based on Ergonomic Studies

To design an ergonomically user-friendly video camera, electromyograms (EMGs) at six muscle locations were measured to find an optimal grip angle. Grip angle is an important factor in the usability of general consumer electronic products. The results indicated that vertically-gripped cameras, where the grip angle is large from the axis of the lens alignment, reduced muscular load. Particularly a grip angle from 105deg to 135deg produced little fatigue. In consideration of our results, we developed a compact and lightweight video camera with a grip angle of 105deg based on ergonomic methodology.