Exoskeletons to Support Manual Material Handling at Work: A Preliminary Study

ExoskeletonsExoskeleton are wearable devices that use the mechanical interaction with the body to augment, assist, and enhance the physical activity, the motion and the body posture. In the last years, both industrial and academic researchers have been working to explore the effectiveness of exoskeletonsExoskeleton in supporting human upper and lower extremities during various tasks. Some studies are questioning the overall impact of exoskeletonsExoskeleton on the health and safetySafety of people at work. Also, there is limited evidence about the long-term effects of these devices on the health and safetySafety of workers. More research is necessary to understand the benefits and the potential opportunities from the introduction of exoskeletonsExoskeleton in the workplacesWorkplace, as well as the potential limitations and risks that may arise for workers. This paper addresses these challenges, providing the results of a preliminary study aimed at investigating how occupational exoskeletonsExoskeleton interact with the body during manual material handling. Different manual handling tasks have been performed in industrial settings with the support of an exoskeletonExoskeleton providing back support during manual liftingManual lifting. The findings support academic, industrial practitioners and researchers to understand the opportunities of exoskeletonsExoskeleton, the benefits and the limitations of their implementationImplementation in the workplacesWorkplace, and the future research needs.