Track: Human Factors and Ergonomics

Abstract

Taho is a delicacy made of fresh tofu commonly retailed in the Philippines, where vendors are usually forced to empty their supply in a few hours as the quality of taho deteriorates due to uncontrolled heat transfer and vibration-produced during peddling. This study aims to construct a prototype that will minimize quality deterioration of taho as well as to provide ease in retailing of taho. Carts are the usual vehicle for street vendors. Consequently, the prototype is loosely based on the design of the carts readily available in the market with key improvements such as coil springs on the auxiliary wheel and the addition of polyethylene foam for heat insulation. The results show that the cart design appears to have small fluctuations of temperature than manual operation. In contrast, the vibration frequency seems to be minimal throughout the assessment. In contrast, the quality of taho in terms of physical appearance is comparatively similar to both strategies due to it being beyond the study's scope. The prototype exhibited comparatively better results than its manual counterpart, alleviating the payload from tension, which creates a higher tilt and movement readings in terms of frequency and acceleration while achieving temperature being preserved throughout the interior of the system.