Subjective Evaluation of a Passive Industrial Exoskeleton for Lower-back Support: A Field Study in the Automotive Sector

A passive, low-back support exoskeleton (Laevo) was tested in a four-week field study with workers in several automobile manufacturing workplaces that included both static trunk postures (forward bending) and dynamic repositioning (manual material handling). The aims of the study were to obtain subjective evaluations of the impacts of exoskeleton use, including discomfort, usability, and user acceptance. Workers overall reported a decrease in physical discomfort in the lower back when using the passive exoskeleton, although this decrease was only evident in work requiring static vs. dynamic postures. There was also evidence of a load redistribution, specifically to the chest region, as evidenced by increase wearing discomfort. Workers provided moderate-to-high ratings of perceived usability, though these ratings were lower at the end of the field study, and a similar outcome was found regarding user acceptance (“intention-to-use”) of the exoskeleton. User acceptance was strongly influenced by perceived usability, as well as the level of discomfort experienced when using the exoskeleton.

本研究针对一款被动式腰椎支撑外骨骼（Laevo）开展了为期四周的实地测试，测试对象为多家汽车制造车间的工人，作业场景涵盖躯干静态姿态（前屈）与动态移位（手动物料搬运）两类作业。本研究的核心目标为获取外骨骼使用效果的主观评价，涵盖佩戴不适程度、易用性与用户接受度三个维度。整体而言，工人反馈使用该被动外骨骼后腰部物理不适有所缓解，但该改善效果仅在静态姿态作业场景中显著，动态姿态作业场景中未体现明显变化。研究同时发现存在负载重新分配现象，具体表现为负载向胸部区域转移，该结论可由佩戴不适程度的上升得到佐证。工人对该外骨骼的易用性评分整体处于中高水平，但在实地研究末期的评分有所下降；外骨骼的用户接受度（“使用意愿”）方面也呈现出类似的变化趋势。用户接受度显著受到易用性感知与佩戴时不适程度的影响。