Professor Arthur T. Johnson
0534 Animal Science/Agricultural Engineering Building
Lab Phone: (301) 405-1186
Dr. Johnson is the director of the Human Performance Laboratory (HPL). Founded in 1991, it focuses on computer-based communication, monitoring and testing devices aimed at evaluating and understanding the cognitive, motor, and psychomotor skills of workers who use respiratory equipment. The lab's goal is to improve performance and safety for those in potentially hazardous occupations such as emergency rescue, manufacturing, mining, agriculture, and landscaping. The HPL is also developing new, noninvasive ways to evaluate respiratory health in adults and children.
Equipment in the laboratory provides researchers with the tools to effectively measure human subject performance. These include treadmills, bicycle ergometers, ski machines, hand-eye coordination apparatus, a muscular strength laboratory, blood analysis equipment, gas monitoring equipment, and pulmonary function monitoring equipment.
One of the unique skills of bioengineers is their ability to apply engineering fundamentals to human and other biological systems. The HPL facilitates teaching and research that determines the biomechanical aspects of human performance responses to environmental stimuli.