| This investigation deals with the ergonomic impact of constant use of laptop computers. The main objective was to determine if the use of laptops over the lap or on a portable table specially designed for laptops would have any effect on the ergonomic risks associated to this task. The assessment tools selected for this investigation were, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), electromyography, electrogoniometry and questionnaires. The experimentation was developed with 39 subjects using both resting surfaces with two different sizes of laptop computers. The results indicate that there are no significant differences between both positions, but the level of ergonomic risk vary with the human anthropometry. This investigation found scientific evidence demonstrating that the effort required in the use of laptop computers is greater than limits recommended by previous investigations. |
