THE EFFECTS OF EXTRA VEHICULAR ACTIVITY (EVA) GLOVES ON HUMAN-PERFORMANCE

Human strength and capabilities such as dexterity, manipulability, and tactile perception are unique and render the hand as a very versatile , effective, multipurpose tool. This is especially true for unknown mi crogravity environments such as the EVA environment. Facilitation of t hese activities, with simultaneous protection from the cruel EVA envir onment, are the two, often conflicting, objectives of glove design. Th e objective of this study was to assess the effects of EVA gloves at d ifferent pressures on human hand capabilities. A factorial experiment was performed in which three types of EVA gloves were tested at five p ressure differentials. The independent variables tested in this experi ment were gender, glove type, pressure differential, and glove make. S ix subjects participated in an experiment in which a number of dexteri ty measures such as time to tie a rope, and the time to assemble a nut and bolt, were recorded. Tactility was measured through a two-point d iscrimination test. The results indicate that (a) With EVA gloves ther e is a considerable reduction in both strength and dexterity performan ce; and (b) performance decrements increase with increasing pressure d ifferential. Some interesting gender glove interactions were observed, some of which may have been due to the extent (or lack of) fit of the glove to the hand. The implications for the designer are discussed. R elevance to industry Gloves are used almost in all the industries as a safety device to protect the human hand. However, performance is redu ced with gloves. This study attempts to link glove attributes to perfo rmance of gloved hand. Hence it is very relevant to the industry.