Investigation of industrial applications of upper extremity exoskeletons and the perspective of their use in industry

In recent years, many researchers paid special attention to exoskeletons. These devices include three main types of rehabilitation, military and industrial. Currently, most of the researches and market volume is focused on the areas of rehabilitation and military systems. Nevertheless, industrial models have also been rapidly developing and attracting capital in the last decade, and many products have been made to this aim. Industrial exoskeletons are divided into active and passive branches, the active type of which uses one or more external actuators, such as electric motors, to augment the user's physical strength and ability. However, the passive models use a mechanical mechanism, such as a spring, to store the energy produced by the user's movement and release when support is needed. The purpose of producing industrial exoskeletons is to support workers in various sectors of industry and construction, who are engaged in hard, tedious, and repetitive activities, and this action will prevent and reduces musculoskeletal disorders in the long run. In this paper, industrial exoskeletons are introduced, then several of their commercialized models (three active types and seven passive types) reviewed and compared based on their characteristics and features. Later, by mentioning the challenges in active systems, such as power supply, weight, price, and the advantages of passive systems, passive industrial exoskeletons are eventually introduced as the future of necessary equipment in industries.

Keywords:

Exoskeleton , Industrial Exoskeleton , Musculoskeletal Disorders , Upper Extremity