The use of exoskeletons in occupational tasks has increased significantly in the last five years. However, few comparative studies have been conducted to understand the advantages and disadvantages of existing exoskeletons. This chapter presents the comparison of six exoskeletons using the TOPSIS method. Using databases of patents and commercial products, a total of six that were chosen to be compared by experts in the design and/or use of exoskeletons. The criteria evaluated were exoskeleton weight, load capacity, anthropometric adjusts, maintenance, and installation on the user. The Shoulder-X exoskeleton was selected as the best, serving as a reference for the acquisition of characteristics for recommendations for the development of new models for use in occupational tasks.
TopIntroduction
As a new and rapidly emerging technology, the use of exoskeletons in different occupational applications is likely to raise new and challenging questions and concerns (Nussbaum et al., 2019). The exoskeleton is defined as a portable device that increases, enables, helps, or improves movement, posture, or physical activity (Lowe et al., 2019), to prevent injuries or treat them, exoskeletons have been a tool for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders and may represent a relevant solution to reduce pain in workers and prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) (Sylla et al., 2014).
The first device to be registered as an exoskeleton is found under US Patent Registration #3,449,769. Called “Man Amplifier,” the design featured human-matched joints as well as one or two servo motors per joint, however. In 1990 the first occupational exoskeleton research records emerged (DiFonzo & Bordia, 1998) and it is until the beginning of the year 2000 that a record of exoskeletons began to be generated, each with different technologies and approaches, these first documents laid the foundations for future efforts in two areas. First, the technological utility to address the wide range of demands of occupational tasks. Second, various evaluation approaches with potential impacts (Nussbaum et al., 2019).
Currently, the number of commercial exoskeletons with an occupational focus is increasing, the following being the most common: CDYS (Crimson Dynamics, 2020) The Paxeo (Paexo, 2019), The Laevo (Laevo V2, 2020), EskoEVO (EskoEVO, 2018). These exoskeletons, all lower limbs, have a focus on the occupational area, are for sale, and are used by brands such as AUDI (Hensel & Keil, 2019), Toyota (Selko, 2019), BMW (Hetzner, 2016), and FORD (Haridy, 2018). The utility of exoskeletons in their production lines is increasingly accepted in markets such as Ford Motor Company (Krok, 2017), BMW (Hetzner, 2016), Hyundai Motor Group (Kim, 2018), and Toyota (Selko, 2019), their applications have also been studied in the construction industry by Kim et al (2019), and in agriculture by Upasani et al., (2019)
However, each brand of exoskeletons claims to do their job to the best of their ability. Therefore, the exoskeletons found will be listed through a technological review that covers both commercial exoskeletons and registered patents to know their main characteristics and functions. This chapter aims to compare the attributes of six different exoskeletons to later classify them by groups and functions.