ABSTRACT
Short term and long term observations of typing work stations were made to investigate the ergonomics of typewriting. This goal required measurement of operator position and performance in the field. Long term observations of typing were conducted for eight hours continuously at eight work stations. The camera for the profile field of view was equipped with a zoom lens. The short term observations methodology implemented for posture sampling of typewriting was an adaptation of "posture targeting". The striking thing about the fundamental frequency results is that this property of the Fourier power spectrum seems to indicate character activation rates when derived from the vibrations of the typewriter. The implication of this finding is that it can be used for work performance measurements, where the operator's actions directly result in machine vibrations as they do in typing. The methodology used in the short term observations was an effective means for determining working postures at the typewriter for the angles measured.
