Martinez Alejandra, Tovar Laura, Irigoyen Amparan Carla, Gonzalez Karen, Edayath Prajina, Pennathur Priyadarshini, Pennathur Arunkumar
Physical, Information and Cognitive Human Factors Engineering Research Laboratory Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering Department, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA.
IISE Trans Occup Ergon Hum Factors. 2025 Jan-Mar;13(1):18-31. doi: 10.1080/24725838.2025.2476438. Epub 2025 Mar 14.
OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONSOur study evaluated four occupational exoskeletons using universal design principles, and we found that the exoskeleton design needs improvement to achieve equitable use by diverse worker sets (including disabled, older, and women workers). Assembling exoskeletons for use, donning and doffing wearable devices, and disassembling them can all be difficult because of the strength, dexterity, reach, and balance requirements of users. Workers with disabilities are likely to require additional support from another person to assemble or use these devices. Exoskeleton design can be improved to provide feedback on user actions, error prevention, and recovery. Factors such as assembly and storage space demands, training needs, additional personnel to assist users, and personalization costs could pose substantial barriers in industrial adoption.
职业应用
我们的研究运用通用设计原则对四种职业外骨骼进行了评估，发现外骨骼设计需要改进，以便不同类型的工人（包括残疾工人、年长工人和女性工人）都能公平使用。由于使用者对力量、灵活性、够及范围和平衡的要求，组装外骨骼以供使用、穿戴和脱下可穿戴设备以及拆卸它们都可能很困难。残疾工人可能需要他人的额外支持才能组装或使用这些设备。外骨骼设计可以改进，以提供关于用户动作、错误预防和恢复的反馈。诸如组装和存储空间需求、培训需求、协助用户的额外人员以及个性化成本等因素可能会成为工业应用中的重大障碍。
