New exhibition to explore the world of ergonomics

Derby Museums has revealed it is working on a new interactive exhibition, which will explore the diverse ways ergonomics make our everyday lives better, safer and more inclusive.

Think Human will launch at the Museum of Making on 27 September, in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) to mark its 75th anniversary.

Ergonomics, or Human Factors, is a design approach exploring how people interact with the systems, products, and environments around them to enhance performance and make our lives safer and more comfortable.

Featuring exhibits donated from industry, universities as well as Derby Museums’ extensive collection, Think Human aims to deepen understanding of how this cross-cutting design approach underpins so many aspects of the world we live in.

Visitors to the Museum of Making will be able to follow a trail around the galleries to explore how historical objects were adapted to better suit their users.

Interwoven interpretation will highlight collections pieces such as reading glasses, telephones and bicycles.

Examples of Loughborough University’s world-leading research and innovation have been translated into interactive exhibits using touchscreens, mannequins and actual products.

Visitors can experience how ‘thinking human’ can improve daily interactions with complex systems such as hospitals, and enable emergency vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians to be more visible.

Unique exhibits include the Third Age Suit, commissioned by Ford to help young designers directly experience how it feels to be an older driver.

Visitors can also explore a specially designed bag that allows paramedics to select the right equipment for each emergency and leave the ambulance carrying a much lighter load.

Additionally, visitors will gain unique insights into how ‘thinking human’ positively impacts sports performance and participation.

The exhibition will showcase two of Loughborough University’s research and innovation collaborations with global sports brand Adidas: specially developed ‘hot pants’ used by Great Britain’s track sprint cyclists who won nine medals at the London 2012 Olympics, and new camera-based measurements that show how the female torso moves, enabling better sports bra support to make exercise more engaging and comfortable.

Another exhibit visitors will be able to see is the surrogate head and neck model, which simulates the differences between being unbraced and unprepared to being completely prepared for an impact in a vehicle.

Dr Cathy Putz, director of programmes at the Museum of Making and Derby Museums said: “Derby Museums is widely acclaimed for the way we foreground human centred design, giving visitors agency and a renewed sense of discovery and wonder through the way we animate our amazingly rich collections.

“Our partnership with CIEHF and Loughborough University in originating this important exhibition is a perfect way of celebrating the stories of creativity and innovation that our collections tell, setting these in the context of the latest advances in design thinking, inspiring us with fresh sense of possibility, a belief in the contribution that our own skills and imaginations can make in improving our world.”

Think Human will open to the public free of charge from 27 September to 22 December.