Abstract
Repetitive and high-strength lifting tasks increase the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in the back and arms. To provide arms and back assistance for workers in repetitive lifting tasks, we developed a lightweight back exoskeleton (LBE). We analyzed the human kinematics, statics, and dynamics of lifting tasks to provide a theoretical basis for the design of the LBE. We designed the arm and back assistant modules. The energy storage mechanism set on arm assistant module is used to do passive assistance. The Bowden cable-driven mechanism based on the series elastic actuator set on back assist module is adopted to do active assistance. The electromyography (EMG) of the left and right biceps brachii (BB) and lumbar erector spinae (LES) were measured to evaluate the arms and back assistance effects of the LBE. When wearing the LBE during repetitive lifting tasks, the average EMG of the BB and LES decreased by 15.15% and 28.25%, respectively. The results demonstrated that the LBE could alleviate muscle fatigue for repetitive lifting tasks.
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Acknowledgments
This work was funded by Chongqing Science and Technology Commission of China (cstc2020jcyj-msxmX0398), Science and Technology Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission (KJZD-K202001103, KJQN202201169), the Scientific Research Foundation of Chongqing University of Technology (2019ZD61), and the graduate student Innovation Project of Chongqing (NO. CYS21466). Supported by action plan for quality development of Chongqing University of Technology graduate education (Grant No. gzlcx20232123).
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Huang, S. et al. (2023). Biomechanical Design and Evaluation of a Lightweight Back Exoskeleton for Repetitive Lifting Tasks. In: Yang, H., et al. Intelligent Robotics and Applications. ICIRA 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 14268. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6486-4_41
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6486-4_41
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