Bioengineering Unit of Telese Terme Institute, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, 82037 Telese Terme, BN, Italy.
Occupational Therapy and Ergonomics Unit of Pavia Institute, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, 27100 Pavia, PV, Italy.
Sensors (Basel). 2024 Feb 23;24(5):1445. doi: 10.3390/s24051445.
This study investigates the biomechanical impact of a passive Arm-Support Exoskeleton (ASE) on workers in wool textile processing. Eight workers, equipped with surface electrodes for electromyography (EMG) recording, performed three industrial tasks, with and without the exoskeleton. All tasks were performed in an upright stance involving repetitive upper limbs actions and overhead work, each presenting different physical demands in terms of cycle duration, load handling and percentage of cycle time with shoulder flexion over 80°. The use of ASE consistently lowered muscle activity in the anterior and medial deltoid compared to the free condition (reduction in signal Root Mean Square (RMS) -21.6% and -13.6%, respectively), while no difference was found for the Erector Spinae Longissimus (ESL) muscle. All workers reported complete satisfaction with the ASE effectiveness as rated on Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST), and 62% of the subjects rated the usability score as very high (>80 System Usability Scale (SUS)). The reduction in shoulder flexor muscle activity during the performance of industrial tasks is not correlated to the level of ergonomic risk involved. This preliminary study affirms the potential adoption of ASE as support for repetitive activities in wool textile processing, emphasizing its efficacy in reducing shoulder muscle activity. Positive worker acceptance and intention to use ASE supports its broader adoption as a preventive tool in the occupational sector.
本研究调查了被动式手臂支撑外骨骼（ASE）对羊毛纺织加工工人的生物力学影响。八名工人配备了表面电极进行肌电图（EMG）记录，在有无外骨骼的情况下完成了三项工业任务。所有任务都是在直立姿势下进行的，涉及重复的上肢动作和头顶作业，每个任务在周期持续时间、负荷处理和肩部弯曲超过 80°的周期时间百分比方面都有不同的物理需求。与自由状态相比，ASE 的使用始终降低了前三角肌和内侧三角肌的肌肉活动（信号均方根（RMS）降低了 21.6%和 13.6%），而竖脊肌长肌（ESL）肌肉则没有差异。所有工人在 QUEST（魁北克用户对辅助技术的满意度评估）上对 ASE 的有效性进行了完全满意的评价，并且 62%的受试者将可用性评分评为非常高（>80 系统可用性量表（SUS））。在执行工业任务时，肩部屈肌肌肉活动的减少与涉及的人体工程学风险水平无关。这项初步研究证实了 ASE 作为羊毛纺织加工重复性活动支撑的潜在采用，强调了其在减少肩部肌肉活动方面的功效。工人对 ASE 的积极接受和使用意愿支持了它在职业领域作为预防工具的更广泛采用。
