Development of design guidelines for manual production workplaces for the use of exoskeletons

The research project “ExoSelect” aims to develop design guidelines for manual production workplaces involving the use of exoskeletons.

The background to this is the high level of physical strain in production, particularly in SMEs, which is further exacerbated by demographic change and the shortage of skilled workers. Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common cause of sickness-related absences and lead to significant economic losses. Although exoskeletons offer considerable potential for relief, there is currently a lack of systematic adaptation of workplaces and processes to their use, which limits their effectiveness.

The project addresses this research gap through a holistic consideration of the human, the exoskeleton, and the workplace. For this purpose, movement sequences are analyzed, ergonomically evaluated, and modeled using simulation-based approaches. Based on these analyses, relationships between workplace design and the use of exoskeletons are identified. The objective is to provide practical and easy-to-apply solutions for SMEs that can be implemented without extensive specialized knowledge.

As a result, systematic and publicly accessible design guidelines as well as a catalog of measures for the ergonomic design of production workplaces will be developed. In addition, a web-based software tool will be created that provides concrete recommendations based on workplace-specific data and supports the selection of suitable exoskeletons.

This enables SMEs to use exoskeletons efficiently, improve employee health, reduce absenteeism, and sustainably strengthen their competitiveness.