Toward the Development of a Hybrid Active and Measuring Exoskeleton for Upper Limbs of Heavy-duty Harbor Workers

Abstract

The paper presents the study of a novel exoskeleton designed for the upper limbs of heavy-duty port operators responsible for lashing containers. This exoskeleton is designed to measure initially its configuration and operational times, once positioned on the workers, to pass to a partial activeness introducing motors for the shoulder, the intra-extra rotation of the forearm, and the elbow. The key concept revolves around the shoulder joint, with particular emphasis on the scapula and its motion. The scapula plays a fundamental role in moving the center of rotation of the humerus, contributing to its exceptional mobility. The fundamental objective is to develop a system that provides support for the vertical motion of the operator's arms, with a specific focus on allowing initially the vertical motion of the scapula to remain unrestricted. This approach aims to collect essential data, which, in a subsequent phase, will likely enable the addition of vertical support to the scapula, possibly with the assistance of AI. Meanwhile, the horizontal motion will consistently be left unrestricted. This exoskeleton design is inspired by previous work that conceptualized a fully measuring exoskeleton, and a corresponding patent application has been presented.