A wonderful Science for Sport resource based on an HKE publication!
Kinesis = Greek for motion: Understanding the complex eclectic nature of human movements
Ergonomics a= derived from the Greek ergon (work) and nomos (laws): The science of work, studying the interplay between humans and their tasks and environment, now extending across all aspects of human activity
Objects of Study
Humans are the central factor in all activities of work life and society. No social, medical, technical or economical progress may take effect without humans being involved. Human health and performance are critical issues for a productive and successful individual and a progressing society.
Human Kinetics and Ergonomics provides knowledge about the function and the reaction of the human body in order to:
optimise human performance
avoid injury and keep healthy in professional activities as well as in private life, and
improve productivity and quality of output in all domains of work life.
This is of essential importance for South African society to further develop and help individuals to a healthy, wealthy and independent lifestyle.
The focus of the study is the Human factor at different activities and different conditions of life. We study human responses and reactions as well as the design of tasks, treatments, objects and environmental conditions according to the needs of the human. The unique approach of HKE is the holistic consideration of biomechanical, physiological, perceptual, mental and psycho-emotional aspects. This is jointly applied to improve human health, human performance and the productivity of human operations.
HKE is an interdisciplinary subject that integrates knowledge from different disciplines, such as anatomy, biomechanics, neurology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, engineering, computer science, management, economics etc. This variety makes it a fascinating subject but also a challenging one.
Fields of study
Structure of the human body
Functioning of the human body
Skeletal framework
Physiological responses
Musculature
Environmental activities
Body composition
Effects of nutrition and hydration
Sensory and mental functions
Conceptual domain
Information perception and processing
Understanding of humans in their environment
Human reasoning and behaviour
Consideration of social aspects
Emotional responses and interpersonal cooperation
Intervention and design
Application Areas
Knowledge of Human Kinetics and Ergonomics is applied to
improve hazardous working conditions,
optimise fitness and performance of sports people,
enable maximum productivity without harming the human body,
We offer a three year undergraduate course (HKE 1, HKE 2 and HKE 3) in the Science, Humanities and Commerce Faculty) as well as postgraduate education (Honours, Masters and PhD degrees). A newly developed Ergonomics Short Course aimed specifically at practitioners has been on offer since 2015.
