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Human Response to Longitudinal Perturbations of Standing Passengers on Public Transport During Regular Operation

The safety of passengers on public transport is a prerequisite for a sustainable transport system, as even minor incidents and frequent discomfort can discourage vulnerable people from using public transport. On public transport vehicles, such as buses and trams, standing passengers are exposed to the risk of injury due to falling during regular trips (so-called non-collision incidents).

This study investigates the response of standing passengers on public transport who experience balance perturbations during non-collision incidents. The objective of the study was to analyse the effects of the perturbation characteristics on the initial responses of the passengers and their ability to maintain their balance. Sled tests were conducted on healthy volunteers  standing on a moving platform, facilitating measurements of the initial muscle activity and stepping response of the volunteers. The volunteers were exposed to five different perturbation profiles representing typical braking and accelerating manoeuvres of a public transport bus in the forward and backward direction.

The results obtained provide a reference dataset for human body modelling, the development of virtual test protocols, and operational limits for improving the safety of public transportation vehicles and users.

This paper (Human Response to Longitudinal Perturbations of Standing Passengers in Public Transport during Regular Operation) written by Simon Krašna, Arne Keller, Astrid Linder, Ary P Silvano, Jia Cheng Xu, Robert Thomson, and Corina Klug is published in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, section Biomechanics.