Leitmerkmale und Vorgehen einer Implementierung von Exoskeletten

Abstract

Physische Unterstützungssysteme wie Exoskelette gewinnen zunehmend an Bedeutung für Industriearbeitsplätze. Dieser Beitrag stellt diesbezüglich eine Vorgehensweise für AnwenderInnen vor, der eine Verwendung von Leitmerkmalen für Unterstützungssituationen zur Ermittlung der Eignung von Exoskeletten nutzt. Beschrieben wird eine nutzerzentrierte Herangehensweise für den Implementierungsprozess von Exoskeletten, welche eine kritische Reflexion über die Eignung eines Exoskeletts auf Basis von Leitmerkmalen fördern soll.

Method and Test Course for the Evaluation of Industrial Exoskeletons

“…This phase thoroughly analyzes the addressed application scenarios in industrial environments and characterizes these support situations as an interaction of the system user, the applied exoskeleton, and the working environment, each with their own sets of characteristics [6,33]. By this, the derivation and selection of exoskeletons with appropriate morphological and functional properties (e.g., actuation principle, stiffness, level of support) [7,22] for the targeted application field of the system become apparent.…”

“…The systems support different body parts such as the upper extremities, trunk, or lower limbs as well as featuring various technical properties, morphologies, and kinds of support [2,5]. Thus, potential users of industrial exoskeletons face the decision of selecting the most appropriate system [6,7], as necessary information about exoskeletons is either differently labeled or generally lacking. For instance, this concerns various characterizations of the system's support, clear application guidelines (e.g., regarding wearing time, risk assessment, hygiene, maintenance), or specifications of technical characteristics (e.g., regarding actuators, force curves, operating times) and operational requirements (e.g., regarding movability, compatibility with personal protective or working equipment).…”

“…Other protagonists might be scientific institutions, testing institutes, or insurance companies. As a result, rather than prescribing fixed test setups, it is preferable to individually guide protagonists through the evaluation process by demonstrating a consistent framework and sensitizing them to relevant aspects [6]. However, every evaluation process by different protagonists is similar and can be divided into representative steps within the proposed comprehensive seven-phase model.…”

Framework for qualifying exoskeletons as adaptive support technology

“…However, it is expected that the operators’ tasks will change fundamentally ( Romero et al, 2016 ; Casla et al, 2019 ) due to changing job profiles and requirements. This issue becomes even more relevant against the backdrop of, e.g., advancing social and demographic change ( European Agency for Safety Health at Work et al, 2020 ; Hoffmann et al, 2021 ), through which companies are confronted with limited access to skilled personnel as well as aging and fluctuating compositions of the workforce ( Casla et al, 2019 ; Sgarbossa et al, 2020 ; Di Pasquale et al, 2021 ). In order to keep pace with the developing role of human operators in factories, a complementary transformation of workplaces and processes is required.…”

“…Compared to the previous approach, the sensory approach of cognitive support is subordinated to perceptive support. Just like AR, VR, and smart aid tools, exoskeletons are becoming increasingly important and of growing interest for the physical support of operators in industrial workplaces ( Hoffmann et al, 2021 ; Mark et al, 2021 ; Mark et al, 2022 ). While exoskeletons were initially used in rehabilitation and the military, they nowadays are of increasing interest in supporting employees in industry and the consumer sector ( Bogue, 2018 ).…”