Ergonomic evaluation of pilot oxygen mask designs

Abstract

A revised pilot oxygen mask design was developed for better fit to the Korean Air Force pilots' faces. The present study compared an existing pilot oxygen mask and a prototype of the revised mask design with 88 Korean Air Force pilots in terms of subjective discomfort, facial contact pressure, and slip distance on the face in high gravity. The average discomfort levels, facial contact pressures, and slip distance of the revised mask were reduced by 33%-56%, 11%-33%, and 24%, respectively, compared to those of the existing oxygen mask. The mask evaluation method employed in the study can be applied to ergonomic evaluation of full- or half-face mask designs.

Keywords: Ergonomic evaluation; Facial contact pressure; Mask slip distance; Pilot oxygen mask; Subjective discomfort.