Subjective Evaluation of a Passive Industrial Exoskeleton for Lower-back Support: A Field Study in the Automotive Sector

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS

A passive, low-back support exoskeleton (Laevo) was tested in a four-week field study with workers in several automobile manufacturing workplaces that included both static trunk postures (forward bending) and dynamic repositioning (manual material handling). The aims of the study were to obtain subjective evaluations of the impacts of exoskeleton use, including discomfort, usability, and user acceptance. Workers overall reported a decrease in physical discomfort in the lower back when using the passive exoskeleton, although this decrease was only evident in work requiring static vs. dynamic postures. There was also evidence of a load redistribution, specifically to the chest region, as evidenced by increase wearing discomfort. Workers provided moderate-to-high ratings of perceived usability, though these ratings were lower at the end of the field study, and a similar outcome was found regarding user acceptance (“intention-to-use”) of the exoskeleton. User acceptance was strongly influenced by perceived usability, as well as the level of discomfort experienced when using the exoskeleton.

Keywords:

• Lower back support
• passive exoskeleton
• field study

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. Stephan Weiler and Dr. Bruno Mücke for their occupational medical advice and their assistance with the medical examinations of the test persons.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

Supplemental data[material/appendices] for this article can be accessed on the publisher's website at DOI:10.1080/24725838.2019.1573770.