Lecture: What opportunities for healthy working do exoskeletons offer?
How can exoskeletons make working life easier – and keep employees who have to lift and carry heavy loads or work above their heads healthy? Dr. Urs Schneider, Head of the Biomechatronics Department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) in Stuttgart, is an expert on this topic and informed the members of Basi, the Federal Working Group for Safety and Health at Work, about this at their most recent meeting. The presentation can be downloaded free of charge from the Basi website.
The topic of exoskeletons will also play an important role at the A+A Congress 2023: This is when the WEARRACON EUROPE conference for exoskeleton technology, in cooperation with the EXOWORKATHLON-Life study, will start together with the A+A Congress for the first time, ensuring optimal synergies and exciting new findings in a thematically coordinated manner.
Researchers analyze the reduction of stress
Dr. Urs Schneider’s presentation provided an initial impression of this: he explained the various effects that welding work with exoskeletons had on subjective perception. Ergonomic evaluations and analyses have been carried out in the laboratory in Stuttgart. Dr. Schneider explained that software needs to be developed to evaluate the results. According to him, research into how exoskeletons reduce strain is being carried out on construction sites (such as the construction of a new railroad station in Stuttgart), in stables for the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture (SVLFG) or in the German Armed Forces.
A key aim is to slow down musculoskeletal damage to the body as much as possible. Dr. Schneider: “We assume that some of the damage that occurs to the intervertebral discs of over-40s, for example, is already initiated between the ages of 14 and 25.” This is why it is important to focus on young workers so that their bodies are protected at an early age. Dr Schneider emphasized the fundamental importance of the so-called TOP principle – in other words, what needs to be put in place technically or organizationally before exoskeletons are used? In addition, it is important to strengthen people physically and find individual solutions. The expert divides the effects of exoskeletons into “passive” (cushioning, damping) and “active” (electromechanical concepts, energy supply).
Used primarily in the construction industry
According to Dr. Schneider, around one hundred companies are currently involved in the development of suitable systems for the world of work – from small start-ups to large companies such as Sony, Samsung and Ottobock. He compared the development to that of the automobile in the 19th century and predicted that the market for high-quality industrial exoskeletons would really take off in 2025. Around 50,000 of these could already be sold by 2025, according to the Stuttgart-based Fraunhofer Institute. According to Dr. Schneider, exoskeletons are primarily used in the construction industry to prevent chronic damage caused by accidents or fatigue, for example.
Dr. Schneider: “In Japan and the USA, exoskeletons are already mandatory on certain assembly lines at Toyota.” Meanwhile, a lot is also happening in Germany: the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) with its Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (IFA) is looking at the field, as is the BAuA (Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). This involves a risk assessment for exoskeletons, for example. “But there is still a lack of studies.” The Fraunhofer Institute is currently working on a specific type of study with one-hour tasks – the EXOWORKATHLON. This involves specific tasks in industrial sectors that are completed within an hour, both with and without an exoskeleton.
Gain experience with experienced workers
Experience is also gained in exoworkathlons with experienced workers: For example, welding is carried out under forced conditions within a course. “We collected data on this, including at A+A 2021,” explained Dr. Urs Schneider. Among other things, the quality of work was assessed. Exhaustion is also measured, which occurs after one hour of lifting boxes weighing eight kilos at a test workstation. Dr. Schneider: “We don’t focus on speed, but instead look primarily at working time and work accuracy.” Initial results showed that the one-hour work was less strenuous with exoskeletons. This also applies to welding in front of the body and overhead – here, the weld seam also looked better over an hour.
According to the expert, these EXOWORKATHLON courses are now being further developed in order to further strengthen systematic data collection – for example, for overhead screwing or heavy physical work in waste disposal.
This will also successively expand the study on the effects of exoskeletons – Dr. Schneider invited a critical discussion to support the science. He believes it would make sense to develop an app and a database on the topic worldwide to facilitate better exchange.
According to Dr. Urs Schneider, researching the long-term effects of exoskeletons remains a challenging task: “How do we want to determine these in people with back problems?”
The topic of exoskeletons will be discussed in detail at the A+A Congress 2023 (October 24 to 27, 2023) – more information will follow.