RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Development of an end-to-end hardware and software pipeline for affordable and feasible ergonomics assessment in the automotive industry
A1 González Alonso, Javier
A1 Simón Martínez, Cristina
A1 Antón Rodríguez, Miriam
A1 González Ortega, David
A1 Díaz Pernas, Francisco Javier
A1 Martínez Zarzuela, Mario
K1 Biomechanics
K1 Ergonomics
K1 IMU
K1 Industry 4.0
K1 OpenSim
K1 RULA
AB An end-to-end hardware-software pipeline is introduced to automatize ergonomics assessment in industrial workplaces. The proposed modular solution can interoperate with commercial systems throughout the ergonomics assessment phases involved in the process. The pipeline includes custom-designed Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors, two real-time worker movement acquisition tools, inverse kinematics processing and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) report generation. It is based on free tools such as Unity3D and OpenSim to avoid the problems derived from using proprietary technologies, such as security decisions being made under “black box” conditions. Experiments were conducted in an automotive factory in a workplace with WMSDs risk among workers. The proposed solution obtained comparable results to a gold standard solution, reaching measured joint angles a 0.95 cross-correlation and a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) lower than 10 for elbows and 12 for shoulders between both systems. In addition, the global RULA score difference is lower than 5 % between both systems. This work provides a low-cost solution for WMSDs risk assessment in the workplace to reduce musculoskeletal disorders and associated sick leave in industry, impacting the health of workers in the long term. Our study can ease further research and popularize the use of wearable systems for ergonomics analysis allowing these workplace prevention systems to reach different industrial environments.
PB Elsevier
SN 0925-7535
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/72876
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/72876
LA eng
NO Safety Science, 2024, vol. 173, 106431
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 23-dic-2024