Physiological and hygienic assessment of the safety of the use of an industrial exoskeleton in the conditions of labor activity modeling

Introduction. The object of the study was the dynamics of the functional state of the human body when performing physical work using an industrial exoskeleton designed to unload the muscles of the back and arms when lifting, lowering, carrying and holding loads weighing up to 50 kg. The study aims to assess the safety of using an industrial exoskeleton in labor modeling. Materials and methods. The authors assessed the functional state of a person within the framework of the developed laboratory model of the labor activity of a potential consumer of an industrial exoskeleton using biomedical methods: medical examination, registration of biomechanics of movements and a questionnaire. The data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis. Results. The use of an industrial exoskeleton does not affect the overall functional condition of the volunteer and does not restrict movement in the lower extremities, but it may partially restrict movement in the shoulder joints and make it difficult to perform movements in the thoracolumbar spine. The volunteer may experience local discomfort in the places where the exoskeleton parts come into contact with the skin: in the anterior surface of the wrist joint, the palmar surfaces of the hand, the anterior surface of the thigh, and the lumbar spine. Limitations. Only 12 respondents participated in the study, which may limit the possibility of data dissemination among the general population, but statistical processing did not reveal conflicting values between the results of different participants. The authors conducted a safety study on the use of an industrial prov exoskeleton in laboratory conditions that did not fully reproduce real ones and overlooked some factors affecting an employee in production. But the conditions directly related to the use of an industrial exoskeleton were reproduced by the authors. Conclusion. The study allows us to conclude that the use of an industrial exoskeleton is safe if the production operations performed in it are similar to the developed laboratory model. There was no negative effect on the general condition of the volunteers and the range of movements of the lower extremities. Limitations of the movements of the upper extremities and in the thoracolumbar spine were noted, related to the design characteristics of an industrial exoskeleton. It is necessary to change the features of an industrial exoskeleton, which can lead to the formation of microtrauma. Ethics. The study was conducted in compliance with the protocol "Safety and Effectiveness study of industrial exoskeletons", approved by the Local Ethics Committee of Izmerov Research Institute of Occupational Health (Minutes No. 1 of the meeting of the Local Ethics Committee dated 01/25/2023).