The Impact of Laptop and Desktop Computer Workstation on Human Performance

ABSTRACT: The goal of this study was to define the differences between desktop computer users and laptop computer users. Also define the affection of working with computer on different body regions. A questionnaire prepared and published on a web site. 100 people filled it. The information of the questionnaire give important data about the work related musculoskeletal disorders. The questionnaire result showed that women have more disorders in their muscles. Also ache and pain is two important type of discomforts that most of the people fill them on their body regions. Neck, shoulder, upper back, lower back and hands recognized as a region with maximum risk for suffering to muscles disorders and elbows, hips\thighs\buttocks, knees and ankles\feet have been reported as a region with minimum pain. Electromyography tests have been done on 5 respondents. The experiments have been done on 6 different body regions for each of the respondents when they are working with a desk type computer and a laptop computer. Electromyography chart draw for each position. The chart analysis shows that desktop computer user and laptop computer user burden pressure when they are using computer. In some position showed that desktop computer respondents have more pressure than laptop computer respondents. Also sometimes the result for each of the respondent in a same position was different. But totally a significant pressure observed when the respondents working with laptop, especially in neck muscles. For analyzing of electromyography data used a hypothesis test. For each respondent for all of the body regions an ANOVA table prepared per working with desktop computer and laptop computer. In all of the tests, hypothesis test rejected and it shows that working with computer and laptop cause discomforts for all of the respondents in all of the body regions. In another ANOVA analysis, we studied the affection of using of desktop computer and laptop computer on each of the body regions for all of the respondents. The result shows that just in shoulder region when the respondents working with desktop computer we cannot say that it has affection, in other region for both of computer we ham significant disorders. Also we studied the interaction between type of computer and body regions. The ANOVA result showed that each of them did not have any affection on respondents but the interaction between them has a significant difference. Keywords: Musculoskeletal discomfort, Desktop computer and laptop computer use. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………