Abstract
Exoskeletons are an innovation that have been increasingly explored in various fields. In fact, industries are one sector that have been investing in the studies of this new equipment to answer the unnecessary efforts made by the operators, where technical and organizational measures implemented are not enough to reduce the risk exposure to demanding working conditions. Hence, a study was conducted to understand the operator’s perceptions in the workplace regarding the use of a low back passive exoskeleton (Laevo). Ease of performing the different tasks with the use of the exoskeleton, ease of use, discomfort, perceived effort with and without the use of this equipment, acceptance, usability, and intention to use it, were the parameters assessed in this study. The exoskeleton was tested in 3 workstations, by a total of 23 workers during tasks that required trunk flexion, manual material handling or both in an automotive industry. The goal was to develop a pilot test, study the participants' perceptions and opinions, and conclude whether the exoskeletons are ready for the industrial context in non-cyclic processes.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ferreira, G., Gaspar, J., Fujão, C., Nunes, I.L.: Piloting the use of an upper limb passive exoskeleton in automotive industry: assessing user acceptance and intention of use. In: Nunes, I.L. (ed.) AHFE 2020. AISC, vol. 1207, pp. 342–349. Springer, Cham (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51369-6_46
Iranzo, S., Piedrabuena, A., Iordanov, D., Martinez-Iranzo, U., Belda-Lois, J.-M.: Ergonomics assessment of passive upper-limb exoskeletons in an automotive assembly plant. Appl. Ergon. 87, 103120 (2020)
Nunes, I.L.: Knowledge acquisition for the development of an upper-body work-related musculoskeletal disorders analysis tool. Hum. Factors Ergon. Manuf. Serv. Ind. 17(2), 149–162 (2007)
Bosch, T., van Eck, J., Knitel, K., de Looze, M.: The effects of a passive exoskeleton on muscle activity, discomfort and endurance time in forward bending work. Appl. Ergon. 54, 212–217 (2016)
Baltrusch, S.J., van Dieën, J.H., Bruijn, S.M., Koopman, A.S., van Bennekom, C.A.M., Houdijk, H.: The effect of a passive trunk exoskeleton on metabolic costs during lifting and walking. Ergonomics 62, 903–916 (2019)
Amandels, S., Eyndt, H.O.H., Daenen, L., Hermans, V.: Introduction and testing of a passive exoskeleton in an industrial working environment. In: Bagnara, S., Tartaglia, R., Albolino, S., Alexander, T., Fujita, Y. (eds.) IEA 2018. AISC, vol. 820, pp. 387–392. Springer, Cham (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96083-8_51
de Vries, A., de Looze, M.: The effect of arm support exoskeletons in realistic work activities: a review study. J. Ergon. 9, 1–9 (2019)
Spada, S., Ghibaudo, L., Gilotta, S., Gastaldi, L., Cavatorta, M.P.: Investigation into the applicability of a passive upper-limb exoskeleton in automotive industry. Procedia Manuf. 11, 1255–1262 (2017)
Sauro, J., Lewis, J.R.: Quantifying the User Experience: Practical Statistics for User Research. Elsevier/Morgan Kaufmann, Amsterdam (2012)
Kothgassner, O.D., Felnhofer, A., Hauk, N., Kastenhofer, E., Gomm, J., Kryspin-Exner, I.: TUI: Technology Usage Inventory. ICARUS, Vienna (2013)
Hensel, R., Keil, M.: Exoskeletons as human-centered, ergonomic assistance systems in future competitive production systems. In: International Conference on Competitive Manufacturing (2019)
Acknowledgments
The author acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT - MCTES) for its financial support via the project UIDB/00667/2020 (UNIDEMI).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Flor, R., Gaspar, J., Fujão, C., Nunes, I.L. (2021). How Workers Perceive LAEVO Exoskeleton Use in Non-cyclic Tasks. In: Nunes, I.L. (eds) Advances in Human Factors and System Interactions. AHFE 2021. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 265. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79816-1_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79816-1_19
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-79815-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-79816-1
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)