A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FOREARM AND HAND MUSCLE USAGE DURING HANDWRITING PRACTICE USING HANDWRITING TOOL
Keywords:
Ergonomic design, human computer interaction, electromyography, digital penAbstract
The foundation of education is learning how to write and is considered an essential skill. The early years of education are dedicated to learning how to hold a pencil and how to form letters and words. This research aims to investigate whether there are differences in muscle activity usage between various digital handwriting tools and a standard pencil. We compare the electromyogram of five muscles: upper trapezius (TRAP), biceps brachii (BB), extensor digitorum communis (EDC), flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS), and first dorsal interosseous (FDI) during elementary school’s practice of forming letters and words. Five types of (digital) handwriting devices were used. The results showed that using Chromebooks, indicating a trend of increasing in TRAP and BB muscle activities. However, using Chromebook, indicating a trend of reducing in FDI muscle activity. Moreover, when practicing forming letters and words with iPad Pro and Livescribe pens, subjects had the lowest TRAP and BB muscle activity. When using a pencil, it indicated a trend of increasing EDC, FDS and FDI muscle activities. The findings also suggest that a Boogie Board Sync, without line space on the black screen of slate, may create difficulty in controlling their strokes on the surface properly, strokes beautification and their aesthetics, and these may ultimately affect muscle activity. Thus, this study indicated a potential lower energy consumption and lower health risks with the digital handwriting technology. Therefore, for preventing long-term negative effects on fine motor skills development digital handwriting tools may be a suitable interface solution for learning environments.
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