Hand Tremor

Hand Tremor

Article Information
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Last modified:
20.Jun.2022
Article UID:
32307
Cite This Page SKYbrary Aviation Safety. (June 20, 2022). Hand Tremor. Retrieved June 4, 2026 from https://skybrary.aero/articles/hand-tremor UID: 32307
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Description

It is suggested that tremor, particularly in wrist and finger muscles varies in response to mental strain. An accelerometer-like device is mounted in a finger-ring, which is worn by the controller. Tremor can be measured using surface electrodes, which detect the discharge of individual muscle fibres.

Discussion/References

References to the use of the method in ATC or similar situations.

As far as we can discover, no systematic attempts have been made to use tremor to evaluate strain on controllers.

Generics
Type of method Observation
Observation is data acquired by observing the controllers.
Target of method Strain
This is a measure of Strain. It measures a physiological parameter by a non electrode method. Physiological measures inherently measure the state of the controllers’ physical processes, without regard to the ‘objective’ workload, and in consequence measure ‘Strain’.
Time Scale of method Minutes
Tremor shows up in response to present, or sometimes anticipated stress. The time scale of this response is not clear, but is of the order of tens of seconds to minutes.
Portability of method No
Although the finger-ring sensor is highly portable, the available recording equipment required is not.
Observer Effect No
Physiological methods in general are not usually subject to observer effects.
Context of studies
Laboratory studies Avoid
 
Simulation studies Avoid
 
Field studies Avoid
 
Potential problems with the method
Failure risk Moderate
Some individuals are more or less affected physiologically by ‘mental’ strain, and some show no measurable variations in tremor. Some individuals show a permanent state of ‘tremor’ (which is reported to be hereditary in part). Tremor may be induced by a variety of routine medicaments.
Bias risk Moderate
Tremor may be affected by physical movements of the controller. If the finger is pressed firmly against a control switch, or a mouse, tremor may be suppressed.
Ethical problems Medical
It is made clear, before any simulation that information on the performance or physical state of individual controllers will not be disclosed or quoted in any identifiable form.
Costs of the method
Staff Cost Low
Relatively little effort required. (no electrode problems).
Set-up Cost High
All medical equipment is inclined to be expensive.
Running Cost Low
Only standard computer data storage required.
Analysis Cost High
The software for the analysis of tremor is not highly developed. It will usually be necessary to cumulated values, “by hand” for each exercise.
Analysis data
Analysis Speed Slow
The necessity of manual examination makes the analysis relatively slow.
Data Automation Used
Tremor data is collected using an automatic recording system.
Analysis Automation Used
Most data analysis is more or less automatised in the current circumstances. However, the use of tremor as an indicator for strain at present requires a certain subjective element, which slows down the overall process.
Status Dubious
Dubious - currently rejected.

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