A load carriage system is routinely integrated into the lives of many around the world. These systems encompass backpacks, daypacks, or fanny packs and can be used by students, hikers, and soldiers. While a load carriage poses many benefits, it is also a source of discomfort and injury. As carried loads increase, there is a demand for load carriage improvement. An important and widely adopted biomechanical evaluation tool of load carriage systems is a skin contact pressure measurement system. These systems capture the distribution of pressure between individuals and their load carriage. Despite challenges identified while using the Tekscan F-Scan pressure measurement system, modern systems lack independent assessments to propose a new standard.

This thesis outlines the evaluation of three modern skin contact pressure measurement systems:​ Novel Pliance, Tekscan I-Scan, and XSENSOR X3. The first study evaluated the effect of system, surface geometry, and applied load on absolute error and measurement drift. An independent flat and semi-circular curved surface apparatus was developed to apply an equivalent theoretical pressure. The system of Novel Pliance exhibited the greatest accuracy (4.51 ± 2.26 kPa), lowest drift (0.05 ± 0.06 kPa/min), and least time susceptibility. The second study evaluated the effect between systems on measurements of average pressure, peak pressure, and contact area, as well as the agreement between testing days per system. The systems of Novel Pliance and XSENSOR X3 demonstrated more suitable performance on the Dynamic Load Carriage Simulator, while Tekscan I-Scan was application-challenged.

The present work advanced the understanding of modern skin contact pressure measurement systems and its implementation into load carriage applications. The novelty of the surface evaluation is that it independently compares three systems, two surfaces, and five loads at 30 minutes. The novelty of the simulator evaluation is that it established an advanced assessment methodology, applicable to future manikin commissioning and objective analysis of load carriage systems. Overall, the present work provides insight into measurement confidence, stability over time, and agreement between systems. Based on these findings, the Novel Pliance pressure measurement system is recommended to capture skin contact pressure in future load carriage investigations.