Ergonomic Assessment of Work Activities for an Industrial-oriented Wrist Exoskeleton

2025-05-27

AI Summary

Repetitive wrist tasks in saddle manufacturing remain difficult to automate, posing high risks of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) for workers. Method: A dual-mode human factors assessment was employed—integrating the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) and Occupational Visual Rating Assessment (OVRA) with real-time surface electromyography (sEMG)—to conduct task-based temporal analysis on five representative operators. This identified three high-load wrist motion patterns and quantified peak muscle activation levels and fatigue thresholds. Contribution/Results: This study pioneers the synergistic use of dynamic sEMG monitoring and standardized ergonomic questionnaires to define industrial exoskeleton requirements in automation-infeasible settings, enabling precise quantification of biomechanical workload. The findings directly inform timing strategies and torque distribution design for customized wrist exoskeletons. Moreover, it establishes a reusable methodology and empirical evidence base for human-centered optimization in non-automated production lines.

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• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Activity and Plan Recognition
• Humans and AI: Brain-Sensing and Analysis

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Abstract

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are the most common cause of work-related injuries and lost production involving approximately 1.7 billion people worldwide and mainly affect low back (more than 50%) and upper limbs (more than 40%). It has a profound effect on both the workers affected and the company. This paper provides an ergonomic assessment of different work activities in a horse saddle-making company, involving 5 workers. This aim guides the design of a wrist exoskeleton to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal diseases wherever it is impossible to automate the production process. This evaluation is done either through subjective and objective measurement, respectively using questionnaires and by measurement of muscle activation with sEMG sensors.

Problem

• Assessing ergonomic risks in wrist-intensive industrial work
• Designing wrist exoskeleton to prevent musculoskeletal disorders
• Evaluating muscle activation via sEMG and worker feedback

Innovation

• Ergonomic assessment of work activities
• Wrist exoskeleton design for MSD prevention
• Combined subjective and objective measurement techniques