Operational and biomechanical evaluation of a wrist exoskeleton prototype for assisting meat cutting tasks

TL;DR

This study evaluates a lightweight wrist exoskeleton's biomechanical effects on meat cutting tasks, showing potential for reducing wrist muscle activity but also highlighting increased shoulder load risks.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive biomechanical assessment of a novel wrist exoskeleton prototype in a realistic occupational task setting.

Findings

EMG activity decreased in wrist flexors by up to 18.7% with exoskeleton active

Shoulder joint torques increased by up to 39.7% due to exoskeleton mass

Heavy exoskeletons may elevate shoulder tendinitis risk

Abstract

Although a growing number of exoskeletons have been developed for occupational applications, wrist exoskeletons remain relatively rare. However, in the meat processing industry, elbow and hand-wrist musculoskeletal disorders are particularly common. The aim of this study was to assess the potential effectiveness and risks of a 670g wrist exoskeleton prototype designed to assist operators during meat cutting tasks. Six professional butchers performed three standardized tasks reproducing meat cutting gestures in foam, in three randomized experimental conditions: (1) without exoskeleton, (2) wearing the exoskeleton passive, with brakes off and (3) using it with brakes activated, locked in a static position. Cutting forces were recorded using an instrumented table, joint angles using an optoelectronic motion capture system, muscle activity using surface EMG and user experience was assessed using questionnaires. The cutting inaccuracy was defined as the area between the prescribed task and the actual cut on the foam surface. Joint torques were estimated by inverse dynamics with and without taking the exoskeleton's mass into account, to isolate its effect. Linear mixed-effects statistical models were fitted. With the exoskeleton active during tasks, EMG activity was decreased of up to 18.7% (p<0.01 to p<0.001) in the wrist flexors and increased of up to 61.7% (not significant to p<0.05) in the upper trapezius. Shoulder elevation joint torques were increased of up to 39.7% (p<0.001), mainly due to the exoskeleton mass. The proposed multi-criteria exoskeleton evaluation has provided guidance for following prototyping stages. Too heavy wrist exoskeletons could increase the risk of shoulder tendinitis for such tasks.