Ergonomics aspects of knob designs: a literature review

Hand-related apparatus designs that fail to accommodate appropriate hand postures can cause hand-related musculoskeletal disorders. While there have been studies on the handling and design of various hand-related apparatus, little has been written on the ergonomics aspects of knob designs. The aim of this paper is to review various knob designs and their ergonomics aspects. The literature review suggests that gearshift knobs, door knobs, gas valve knobs, butterfly nuts and screw knobs are common knobs used for daily living activities. Other knobs like the convex, knurled, spherical, cone-shaped and ridged knob are often used for industrial-related applications. The ergonomics considerations identified in knobs include aesthetic attraction, position, torque requirement and shape-coding. This literature review can be used as groundwork for the development of ergonomics theory and hand-related studies. Engineers can use this literature review to identify certain ergonomics aspects in knobs to improve equipment designs, operating efficiency and working comfort.

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