Zephyr: A High Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Air Vehicle ...

3.2 NIOSH Lifting EquationThe hand launch of Zephyr must be achieved without causing harm to the body ordegrading user performance for the rest of the mission. According to the US NationalInstitute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) it is highly fatiguing to usemaximum force and maximum body strength repeatedly or for a significant period oftime, so this should be avoided. It is better to use the maximum strength that isconsistent with long-term safety and ability.Individual joint and muscle strength are of little use as launching the UAV uses morethan one joint simultaneously – both the legs, back and arms are all required in liftingand launching. During launch the team all lift Zephyr to above shoulder height, andwhile holding it they run at full speed before letting go of the aircraft. The start oflaunch (as the team is lifting and carrying Zephyr to its starting position) is shown infigure 7.Figure 7. Picture showing Zephyr being lifted at the start of launch31