A peg-in-hole test and analysis method for exoskeleton evaluation (original) (raw)
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ObjectiveWork-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) are considered nowadays the most serious issue in the Occupational Health and Safety field and industrial exoskeletons appear to be a new approach to addressing this medical burden. A systematic review has been carried out to analyze the real-life data of the application of exoskeletons in work settings considering the subjective responses of workers.MethodsThe review was registered on PROSPERO. The literature search and its report have been performed following the PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus.ResultsTwenty-four original studies were included in the literature review; 42% of the papers retrieved included automobilist industry workers, 17% of the studies evaluated the use of exoskeletons in logistic facilities, and 17% of articles involved healthcare. The remaining six papers recruited farmers, plasterers, wasting collectors, construction worker...
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The large-scale adoption of occupational exoskeletons (OEs) will only happen if clear evidence of effectiveness of the devices is available. Performing product-specific field validation studies would allow the stakeholders and decision-makers (e.g., employers, ergonomists, health, and safety departments) to assess OEs’ effectiveness in their specific work contexts and with experienced workers, who could further provide useful insights on practical issues related to exoskeleton daily use. This paper reviews present-day scientific methods for assessing the effectiveness of OEs in laboratory and field studies, and presents the vision of the authors on a roadmap that could lead to large-scale adoption of this technology. The analysis of the state-of-the-art shows methodological differences between laboratory and field studies. While the former are more extensively reported in scientific papers, they exhibit limited generalizability of the findings to real-world scenarios. On the contrar...
Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, 2020
Implementation of exoskeletons could be one of the solutions to augment human capacity towards reducing the large number of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in the industry. While many studies highlight the benefits offered by these devices, some show mixed results, which could be due to lack of standardised processes in both development and testing. Further, our observations show that current exoskeletons could be further improved with a goal towards increasing the end-user experience. We have identified the key factors in the design of exoskeletons that could be one of the reasons for the discomfort, misfit and low acceptance of the devices among the workers. Considering the ergonomics principles, we have determined elements of exoskeletons that can be associated with the identified limitations, then provided an overview of some of the modern technologies that are being/could be used, and opportunities for using smart materials to facilitate their design enhancement. Finally, relevant human-machine interaction aspects and the feasibility of applying these technologies in exoskeletons to the industrial environments are discussed. Relevance to human factors/Relevance to ergonomics theory It is important for a wearable assistive device like an exoskeleton to consider the fit between the device and the wearer to provide optimum levels of performance and health benefits. This human-exoskeleton interface can be improved by studying, evaluating and modifying the exoskeleton design, wherein the field of human factors plays a crucial role. Thus, considering the ergonomics between the device and the wearer, this review article uses human factors principles to identify, categorize and provide potential design improvements in exoskeletons. Through our work, we aim to highlight the importance of including ergonomics principles in the development of wearable assistive devices.
Exoskeletons for industrial application and their potential effects on physical work load
Ergonomics, 2015
The aim of this review was to provide an overview of assistive exoskeletons that have specifically been developed for industrial purposes and to assess the potential effect of these exoskeletons on reduction of physical loading on the body. The search resulted in 40 papers describing 26 different industrial exoskeletons, of which 19 were active (actuated) and 7 passive (non-actuated). For 13 exoskeletons, the effect on physical loading have been evaluated, mainly in terms of muscle activity. All passive exoskeletons retrieved were aimed to support the low back. 10 to 40% reductions in back muscle activity during dynamic lifting and static holding have been reported. Both lower body, trunk and upper body regions could benefit from active exoskeletons. Muscle activity reductions up to 80% have been reported as an effect of active exoskeletons. Exoskeletons have the potential to considerably reduce the underlying factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal injury.
Exoskeletons: Contribution to Occupational Health and Safety
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This review aims to characterize the current landscape of exoskeletons designed to promote medical care and occupational safety in industrial settings. Extensive exploration of scientific databases spanning industries, health, and medicine informs the classification of exoskeletons according to their distinctive attributes and specific footholds on the human physique. Within the scope of this review, a comprehensive analysis is presented, contextualizing the integration of exoskeletons based on different work activities. The reviewers extracted the most relevant articles published between 2008 and 2023 from IEEE, Proquest, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, and other databases. In this review, the PRISMA-ScR checklist was used, and a Cohen’s kappa coefficient of 0.642 was applied, implying moderate agreement among the reviewers; 75 primary studies were extracted from a total of 344. The future of exoskeletons in contributing to occupational health and safety will depend...
Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2021
Objective To investigate the effect of using a passive back-support exoskeleton (Laevo V2.56) on muscle activity, posture, heart rate, performance, usability, and wearer comfort during a course of three industrial tasks (COU; exoskeleton worn, turned-on), stair climbing test (SCT; exoskeleton worn, turned-off), timed-up-and-go test (TUG; exoskeleton worn, turned-off) compared to no exoskeleton. Background Back-support exoskeletons have the potential to reduce work-related physical demands. Methods Thirty-six men participated. Activity of erector spinae (ES), biceps femoris (BF), rectus abdominis (RA), vastus lateralis (VL), gastrocnemius medialis (GM), trapezius descendens (TD) was recorded by electromyography; posture by trunk, hip, knee flexion angles; heart rate by electrocardiography; performance by time-to-task accomplishment (s) and perceived task difficulty (100-mm visual analogue scale; VAS); usability by the System Usability Scale (SUS) and all items belonging to domains sk...
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The labor-intensive nature of the construction industry requires workers to frequently perform physically demanding manual work, thereby exposing them to the risk of musculoskeletal injury (approximately 31.2 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers). Exoskeletons and exosuits (collectively called EXOs here) are designed to protect workers from these injuries by reducing exertion and muscle fatigue during work. However, the usability of EXOs in construction is still not clear. This is because extant EXO assessments in construction were mainly conducted in laboratory environments with test participants who are not construction professionals. In this research, we conducted a pilot study to investigate the usability of EXOs in a real construction workplace. Four experienced workers were recruited to push/empty construction gondolas with and without a Back-Support EXO, HeroWear Apex. Three workers were recruited to install/remove wooden blocks between steel studs with and without t...