A Literature Review on the Risks and Potentials of Tracking and Monitoring eHealth Technologies in the Context of Occupational Health Management

Employee health is increasingly important, as is the use of eHealth technologies in the private and the organizational context. This paper examines which existing eHealth technologies that support monitoring and tracking of health are applied in occupational health management (OHM) and investigates the advantages and disadvantages of their application. To pursue this intention, we analyze the current state of research with a structured literature review and provide a comprehensive overview of relevant works. The results point out advantages and disadvantages that provide the groundwork to discuss success factors for tracking and monitoring eHealth technologies in OHM. The derived success factors aim at operational, technological, operational/technological aspects of eHealth tracking and monitoring usage. Thereby, favorable outcomes such as an increase in employee health can be achieved, and participation in OHM measures can be increased. However, it can also lead to adverse outcomes such as a reduced work-life balance

Comparison of wearable measurement systems for estimating trunk postures in manual material handling, A

2017 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.Epidemiologic studies have established that awkward trunk postures during manual materials handling are associated with an increased risk of developing occupational low back disorders. With recent advances in motion capture technology, emerging wearable measurement systems have been designed to quantify trunk postures for exposure assessments. Wearable measurement systems integrate portable microelectromechanical sensors, real-time processing algorithms, and large memory capacity to effectively quantify trunk postures. Wearable measurement systems have been available primarily as research tools, but are now quickly becoming accessible to health and safety professionals for industrial application. Although some of these systems can be highly complex and deter health and safety professionals from using them, other systems can serve as a simpler, more user-friendly alternative. These simple wearable measurement systems are designed to be less intricate, allowing health and safety professionals to be more willing to utilize them in occupational posture assessments. Unfortunately, concerns regarding the comparability and agreement between simple and complex wearable measurement systems for estimating trunk postures are yet to be fully addressed. Furthermore, application of wearable measurement systems has been affected by the lack of adaptability of sensor placement to work around obstructive equipment and bulky gear workers often wear on the job. The aims of the present study were to 1) compare the Bioharness™3, a simple wearable measurement system, to Xsens™, a complex wearable measurement system, for estimating trunk postures during simulated manual material handling tasks and 2) to explore the effects of Xsens sensor placement on assessing trunk postures. Thirty participants wore the two systems simultaneously during simulated tasks in the laboratory that involved reaching, lifting, lowering, and pushing a load for ten minutes. Results indicated that the Bioharness 3 and Xsens systems are comparable for strictly estimating trunk postures that involved flexion and extension of 30° or less. Although limited to a short range of trunk postures, the Bioharness also exhibited moderate to strong agreement and correlations with the Xsens system for measuring key metrics commonly used in exposure assessments, including amplitude probability distribution functions and percent time spent in specific trunk posture categories or bins. The Bioharness is suggested to be an a more intuitive alternative to the Xsens system for posture analysis, but industrial use of the device should be warranted in the context of the exposure assessment goals. In addition, a single motion sensor from the Xsens system placed on the sternum yielded comparable and consistent estimates to a sensor secured on the sternum relative to a motion sensor on the sacrum. Estimates included descriptive measures of trunk flexion and extension and percent time spent in specific trunk posture categories. Using one motion sensor instead of two may serve as an alternative for sensor placement configuration in situations where worker portable equipment or personal preference prevents preferred sensor placement

Wearable devices for ergonomics: A systematic literature review

Wearable devices are pervasive solutions for increasing work efficiency, improving workers’ well-being, and creating interactions between users and the environment anytime and anywhere. Although several studies on their use in various fields have been performed, there are no systematic reviews on their utilisation in ergonomics. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review to identify wearable devices proposed in the scientific literature for ergonomic purposes and analyse how they can support the improvement of ergonomic conditions. Twenty-eight papers were retrieved and analysed thanks to eleven comparison dimensions related to ergonomic factors, purposes, and criteria, populations, application and validation. The majority of the available devices are sensor systems composed of different types and numbers of sensors located in diverse body parts. These solutions also represent the technology most frequently employed for monitoring and reducing the risk of awkward postures. In addition, smartwatches, body-mounted smartphones, insole pressure systems, and vibrotactile feedback interfaces have been developed for evaluating and/or controlling physical loads or postures. The main results and the defined framework of analysis provide an overview of the state of the art of smart wearables in ergonomics, support the selection of the most suitable ones in industrial and non-industrial settings, and suggest future research directions

Combining inertial-based ergonomic assessment with biofeedback for posture correction: a narrative review

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) are the most reported work-related health problem in the European Union, representing an economic burden equivalent to 2% of its gross domestic product. Awkward postures are one of the main risk factors. Several postural assessment tools try to identify ergonomic exposure factors for evaluating WRMSD risk, yet these are commonly based on observation. Replacing observations with objective measurements can bring more accuracy and reproducibility to this analysis; hence, a direct measurement approach for the assessment is desired. This review looks for two-fold solutions, able to not only monitor workers’ posture using inertial sensors but also to return that information to the user, in a biofeedback loop. It presents systems for posture risk assessment, regarding ergonomic methods, sensors’ and actuators’ characteristics, and validation protocols. In particular, this review advances previous manuscripts by exploring the literature regarding different biofeedback strategies and ways to encode meaningful information in the cues, i.e., able to deliver intuitive ergonomic guidance so that the user becomes aware and changes into a more neutral posture. The combination of inertial sensors and vibrotactile motors stood out, due to its effectiveness in reducing postural risk. Directional feedback to guide users’ segments individually was found to be a promising strategy, although its validation is still limited. The results of the reviewed manuscripts pointed out the relevant practices, potentialities, and limitations of the existing solutions, allowing the identification of future challenges.This work was supported in part by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) under the national support to R&D units grant, through the reference project UIDB/04436/2020 and UIDP/04436/2020, and the INTEGRATOR project under Grant 2022.15668.MIT. Sara Cerqueira was supported by the doctoral Grant FRH/BD/151382/2021, financed by FCT, under MIT Portugal Program

Technological advancements in the analysis of human motion and posture management through digital devices

Technological development of motion and posture analyses is rapidly progressing, especially in rehabilitation settings and sport biomechanics. Consequently, clear discrimination among different measurement systems is required to diversify their use as needed. This review aims to resume the currently used motion and posture analysis systems, clarify and suggest the appropriate approaches suitable for specific cases or contexts. The currently gold standard systems of motion analysis, widely used in clinical settings, present several limitations related to marker placement or long procedure time. Fully automated and markerless systems are overcoming these drawbacks for conducting biomechanical studies, especially outside laboratories. Similarly, new posture analysis techniques are emerging, often driven by the need for fast and non-invasive methods to obtain high-precision results. These new technologies have also become effective for children or adolescents with non-specific back pain and postural insufficiencies. The evolutions of these methods aim to standardize measurements and provide manageable tools in clinical practice for the early diagnosis of musculoskeletal pathologies and to monitor daily improvements of each patient. Herein, these devices and their uses are described, providing researchers, clinicians, orthopedics, physical therapists, and sports coaches an effective guide to use new technologies in their practice as instruments of diagnosis, therapy, and prevention

Wearable simulations for ill-health conditions in construction

Occupational ill-health and wellbeing is a significant challenge for workers in the civil engineering and construction sectors. The symptoms of many ill-health conditions become more severe over time and minor aches and pains in a young worker can develop into serious problems the older they get. Health and safety training has increased in recent years and site inductions are now ubiquitous. However, formal training methods seem to have little effect. Evidence-based, wearable simulations for common construction ill-health conditions have been developed from over 20 years of universitybased research. The LUSKInS simulations provide experiential learning experience for dermatitis, hand-arm vibration syndrome, musculoskeletal disorders, noise induced hearing loss and respiratory disorders and are being trialled with young apprentices aiming to change their attitudes and behaviours

Model-based myoelectric control of robots for assistance and rehabilitation

The first anthropomorphic robots and exoskeletons were developed with the idea of combining man and machine into an intimate symbiotic unit that can perform as one joint system. A human-robot interface consists of processes of two different nature: (1) the physical interaction (pHRI) between the device and its user and (2) the exchange of cognitive information (cHRI) between the human and the robot. To achieve the symbiosis between the two actors, both need to be optimized. The evolution of mechanical design and the introduction of new materials pushed pHRI to new frontiers on ergonomics and assistance performance. However, cHRI still lacks on this direction because is more complicated: it requires communication from the cognitive processes occuring in the human agent to the robot, e.g. intention detection; but also from the robot to the human agent, e.g. feedback modalities such as haptic cues. A possible innovation is the inclusion of the electromyographic signal, the command signal from our brain to the musculoskeletal system for the movement, in the robot control loop. The aim of this thesis was to develop a real-time control framework for an assistive device that can generate the same force produced by the muscles. To do this, I incorporated in the robot control loop a detailed musculoskeletal model that estimates the net torque at the joint level by taking as inputs the electromyography signals and kinematic data. This module is called myoprocessor. Here I present two applications of this control approach: the first was implemented on a soft wearable arm exosuit in order to evaluate the adaptation of the controller on different motion and loads. The second one, was a generation of myoprocessor-driven force field on a planar robot manipulandum in order to study the modularity changes of the musculoskeletal system. Both applications showed that the device controlled by myoprocessor works symbiotically with the user, by reducing the muscular activity and preserving the motor performance. The ability of seamlessly combining musculoskeletal force estimators with assistive devices opens new avenues for assisting human movement both in healthy and impaired individuals

Ergowear: desenvolvimento de um vestuário inteligente para monitorização postural e biofeedback

Dissertação de mestrado em Engenharia Biomédica (especialização em Eletrónica Médica)Atualmente, as Lesões Musculoesqueléticas Relacionadas com o Trabalho (LMERT) são considera das o ”problema relacionado com o trabalho mais prevalente”na União Europeia, levando a um custo estimado de cerca de 240 biliões de euros. Em casos mais severos, estes distúrbios podem causar danos vitalícios à saúde do trabalhador, reduzindo a sua qualidade de vida. De facto, LMERTs são con sideradas a principal causa da reforma precoce dos trabalhadores. Foi reportado que os segmentos da parte superior do corpo são mais suceptíveis ao desenvolvimento de LMERTs. Para mitigar a prevalência de LMERTs, ergonomistas maioritariamente aplicam métodos de avaliação observacionais, que são alta mente dependentes da experiência do analista, e apresentam baixa objetividade e repetibilidade. Desta maneira, esforços têm sido feitos para desenvolver ferramentas de avaliação ergonómica baseadas na instrumentação, para compensar essas limitações. Além disso, com a ascensão do conceito da indústria 5.0, o trabalhador humano volta a ser o foco principal na indústria, juntamente com o robô colaborativo. No entanto, para alcançar uma relação verdadeiramente colaborativa e simbiótica entre o trabalhador e o robô, este último precisa de reconhecer as intenções do trabalhador. Para superar este obstáculo, sis temas de captura de movimento podem ser integrados nesta estrutura, fornecendo dados de movimento ao robô colaborativo. Esta dissertação visa a melhoria de um sistema de captura de movimento autónomo, da parte supe rior do corpo, de abordagem inercial que servirá, não apenas para monitorizar a postura do trabalhador, mas também avaliar a ergonomia do usuário e fornecer consciencialização postural ao usuário, por meio de motores de biofeedback. Além disso, o sistema foi já idealizado tendo em mente a sua integração numa estrutura colaborativa humano-robô. Para atingir estes objetivos, foi aplicada uma metodologia de design centrado no utilizador, começando pela análise do Estado da Arte, a avaliação das limitações do sistema anterior, a definição dos requisitos do sistema, o desenvolvimento da peça de vestuário, arquite tura do hardware e arquitetura do software do sistema. Por fim, o sistema foi validado para verificar se estava em conformidade com os requisitos especificados. O sistema é composto por 9 Unidades de Medição Inercial (UMI), posicionados na parte inferior e superior das costas, cabeça, braços, antebraços e mãos. Também foi integrado um sistema de atuação, para biofeedback postural, composto por 6 motores vibrotáteis, localizados na região lombar e próximo do pescoço, cotovelos e pulsos. O sistema é alimentado por uma powerbank e todos os dados adquiridos são enviados para uma estação de processamento, via WiFi (User Datagram Protocol (UDP)), garantindo autonomia. O sistema tem integrado um filtro de fusão Complementar Extendido e uma sequência de calibração Sensor-para-Segmento estática, de maneira a aumentar a precisão da estimativa dos ângulos das articulações. Além disso, o sistema é capaz de amostrar os dados angulares a 240 Hz, enquanto que o sistema anterior era capaz de amostrar no máximo a 100 Hz, melhorando a resolução da aquisição dos dados. O sistema foi validado em termos de hardware e usabilidade. Os testes de hardware abordaram a caracterização da autonomia, frequência de amostragem, robustez mecânica e desempenho da comuni cação sem fio do sistema, em diversos contextos, e também para verificar se estes estão em conformidade com os requisitos técnicos previamente definidos, que foi o caso. Adicionalmente, as especificações da nova versão do sistema foram comparadas com a anterior, onde se observou uma melhoria direta signifi cativa, como por exemplo, maior frequência de amostragem, menor perda de pacote, menor consumo de corrente, entre outras, e com sistemas comerciais de referência (XSens Link). Testes de usabilidade foram realizados com 9 participantes que realizaram vários movimentos uniarticulares e complexos. Após os testes, os usuários responderam a um questionário baseado na Escala de Usabilidade do Sistema (EUS). O sistema foi bem aceite pelos os usuários, em termos de estética e conforto, em geral, comprovando um elevado nível de vestibilidade.Nowadays, Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSDs) are considered the ”most prevalent work-related problem” in the European Union (EU), leading to an estimated cost of about 240 billion EUR. In more severe cases, these disorders can cause life-long impairments to the workers’ health, reducing their quality of life. In fact, WRMSDs are the main cause for the workers’ early retirement. It was reported that the upper body segments of the worker are more susceptible to the development of WRMSDs. To mitigate the prevalence of WRMSD, ergonomists mostly apply observational assessment methods, which are highly dependant on the analyst’s expertise, have low objectivity and repeatability. Therefore, efforts have been made to develop instrumented-based ergonomic assessment tools, to compensate for these limitations. Moreover, with the rise of the 5.0 industry concept, the human worker is once again the main focus in the industry, along with the Collaborative Robot (cobot). However, to achieve a truly collaborative relation between the worker and the cobot, the latter needs to know the worker’s intentions. To surpass this obstacle, Motion Capture (MoCap) systems can be integrated in this framework, providing motion data to the cobot. This dissertation aims at the improvement of a stand-alone, upper-body, inertial, MoCap system, that will serve to not only monitor the worker’s posture, but also to assess the user’s ergonomics and provide posture awareness to the user, through biofeedback motors. Furthermore, it was also designed to integrate a human-robot collaborative framework. To achieve this, a user-centred design methodology was applied, starting with analyzing the State of Art (SOA), assessing the limitations of the previous system, defining the system’s requirements, developing the garment, hardware architecture and software architecture of the system. Lastly, the system was validated to ascertain if it is in conformity with the specified requirements. The developed system is composed of 9 Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), placed on the lower and upper back, head, upper arms, forearms and hands. An actuation system was also integrated, for postural biofeedback, and it is comprised of 6 vibrotactile motors, located in the lower back, and in close proximity to the neck, elbows and wrists. The system is powered by a powerbank and all of the acquired data is sent to a main station, via WiFi (UDP), granting a standalone characteristic. The system integrates an Extended Complementary Filter (ECF) and a static Sensor-to-Segment (STS) calibration sequence to increase the joint angle estimation accuracy. Furthermore, the system is able to sample the angular data at 240 Hz, while the previous system was able to sample it at a maximum 100 Hz, improving the resolution of the data acquisition. The system was validated in terms of hardware and usability. The hardware tests addressed the char acterization of the system’s autonomy, sampling frequency, mechanical robustness and wireless commu nication performance in different contexts, and ascertain if they comply with the technical requirements, which was the case. Moreover, the specifications of the new version were compared with the previous one, where a significant direct improvement was observed, such as, higher sampling frequency, lower packet loss, lower current consumption, among others, and with a commercial system of reference (XSens Link). Usability tests were carried out with 9 participants who performed several uni-joint and complex motions. After testing, users answered a questionnaire based on the System Usability Scale (SUS). The system was very well accepted by the participants, regarding aesthetics and overall comfort, proving to have a high level of wearability