Exoworkathlon: A prospective study approach for the evaluation of industrial exoskeletons

Abstract

Industrial exoskeletons have recently gained importance as ergonomic interventions for physically demanding work activities. The growing demand for exoskeletons is leading to a need for new knowledge on the effectiveness of these systems. The Exoworkathlon, as a prospective study approach, aims to assess exoskeletons in realistic use cases and to evaluate them neutrally in their entirety. For this purpose, a first set of four realistic Parcours was developed with experts from relevant industries, the German Social Accident Insurance, and the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. In addition, a set of ratings was defined to assess subjective user feedback, work quality, and objective physiological parameters. Exoworkathlon aims to bring together developers, researchers, and end-users, strengthen collaborative exchanges, and promote a platform for the prospective holistic data collection for exoskeleton evaluation. In this article, the focus is on the background and methodology of Exoworkathlon.

Current State, Needs, and Opportunities for Wearable Robots in Military Medical Rehabilitation and Force Protection

“…Field studies and laboratory studies may be used for analyzing individual movements [30,64]. An innovative approach, such as the Exoworkathlon ® , transfers real-world use cases into standardized laboratory settings with task-specific expert groups [69]. This approach enables an evaluation of exoskeleton effects, encompassing both subjective assessments through questionnaires and objective measurements through biomechanical measures.…”

Workload and stress evaluation in advanced manufacturing systems

“…The experimental tasks usually include motor and cognitive activities. As in Table 2, motor tasks consist of manual assembly activities [9,15,32] that, in some studies, are executed by using collaborative robots [21,23] or augmented reality glasses [10], or working in different operational (e.g., push vs. pull) contexts [12,19]. In other cases, the task type involves other activities, such as crimping [8] or replacement of spare parts [6].…”

Dynamic and Static Assistive Strategies for a Tailored Occupational Back-Support Exoskeleton: Assessment on Real Tasks Carried Out by Railway Workers

“…While passive devices are less versatile by design, active ones can rely on sensors and algorithms to adapt the assistive output to the demands of the task [13][14][15]. Currently, occupational back support exoskeletons are entering a new development stage in which evaluation of their performance is now expected to take place in field studies [16][17][18]. These studies aim to highlight and verify the potential of exoskeletons to perform as promised by reducing overload and being accepted by workers within industrial environments.…”