A review on the usability of wheeled luggage

Abstract

Material handling aids are of concern to researchers as they seek ways to minimise workload and the risk of injury. Most researchers have focused on industrial carts, while wheeled luggage has received little attention. Some of the previous studies on wheeled luggage have recommended that wheeled luggage be treated as a material handling aid and that researchers study the usability of wheeled luggage more. Four main types of wheeled luggage are identified and these have three modes of movement: pushing, pulling or a combination of both. Pulled wheeled luggage designs have been found to have ergonomic flaws such as too much stress on the pulling arm and awkward postures. Design analysis shows that most existing wheeled luggage is unsuitable for developing countries because of poor ergonomics, instability and low usability on rough or rural terrain. Larger wheels and higher ground clearance can address some of the concerns. Initial findings show that push-trolley luggage addresses most of the main design inadequacies of pulled two-wheel luggage. Studies need to be carried out to determine the potential of push-trolley luggage and design of wheeled luggage for developing countries. Some existing design solutions can be optimised to improve or replace the designs of the most widely used wheeled luggage. Optimised wheeled push-trolley luggage is suggested as a solution to headloading and drudgery in developing countries. An online journal search, journal analysis and rural terrain analysis are conducted. Three wheeled bags were tested on rural terrain in two developing countries and their performance was inadequate.