Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Development and design of a vest for a wearable soft robotic arm lifting system

Fredin, Svante LU and Ascard, Martin (2017) MMK820 20162
Innovation
Abstract
Work related injuries causes personal suffering and economic loss for both companies and individuals. Repetitive work and static postures with the arms can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the shoulder and neck region. This thesis set out to develop a wearable soft robotic arm lifting system using Bioservo Technologies’ Soft Extra Muscle (SEM) technology. The objective was to develop a functional prototype that supports lifting the arms. The vest part of the system was the main focus of this thesis. The intended user for the system is an individual who is in the risk group of MSD in the shoulder and neck region but does not have any work related injuries beforehand.

Initially, a literature study was performed, followed by... (More)
Work related injuries causes personal suffering and economic loss for both companies and individuals. Repetitive work and static postures with the arms can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the shoulder and neck region. This thesis set out to develop a wearable soft robotic arm lifting system using Bioservo Technologies’ Soft Extra Muscle (SEM) technology. The objective was to develop a functional prototype that supports lifting the arms. The vest part of the system was the main focus of this thesis. The intended user for the system is an individual who is in the risk group of MSD in the shoulder and neck region but does not have any work related injuries beforehand.

Initially, a literature study was performed, followed by defining the user needs and product specifications. Previous prototypes had been developed at the company and they were analyzed and learned from before starting to generate concepts. Several prototypes were constructed and they were evaluated primarily through user tests and discussions with Bioservo representatives. During the development process, a heuristic approach was found the most effective since it allowed fast iterations.

The final prototype’s main parts were a vest, a mechatronic system and an elbow brace. The vest served as force anchoring around the torso and it could be adjusted to fit various body types. The mechatronic system actuated a line which was connected to the elbow brace and supported the arms during motion. The recommendations for future work includes additional user tests to see if a system of this kind can prevent work related injuries. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Arbetsrelaterade skador orsakar personligt lidande och ekonomiska förluster för både företag och privatpersoner. Repetitivt arbete och statiska arbetsställningar med armarna kan leda till belastningsskador i axel- och halsregionen. Detta examensarbete har haft som syfte att utveckla ett mjukt bärbart robotsystem med Bioservo Technologies Soft Extra Muscle (SEM) teknik, som ska ge assistans vid lyft av armarna. Den avsedda användaren för systemet är en individ som är i riskgruppen för belastningsskador i axel- och halsregionen men som inte har några arbetsrelaterade skador i förväg.

Inledningsvis genomfördes en litteraturstudie som följdes av att definiera användarbehov och produktspecifikationer. Företaget hade tidigare utvecklat... (More)
Arbetsrelaterade skador orsakar personligt lidande och ekonomiska förluster för både företag och privatpersoner. Repetitivt arbete och statiska arbetsställningar med armarna kan leda till belastningsskador i axel- och halsregionen. Detta examensarbete har haft som syfte att utveckla ett mjukt bärbart robotsystem med Bioservo Technologies Soft Extra Muscle (SEM) teknik, som ska ge assistans vid lyft av armarna. Den avsedda användaren för systemet är en individ som är i riskgruppen för belastningsskador i axel- och halsregionen men som inte har några arbetsrelaterade skador i förväg.

Inledningsvis genomfördes en litteraturstudie som följdes av att definiera användarbehov och produktspecifikationer. Företaget hade tidigare utvecklat liknande prototyper, vilka kunde analyseras och delvis användas som grund innan alternativa koncept genererades. Flera prototyper byggdes och utvärderades främst med hjälp av användartester och diskussioner med representanter från Bioservo. Under utvecklingsprocessen användes en heuristisk metod då den uppfattades som mest effektiv eftersom den tillät snabba iterationer.

Den slutliga prototypens huvuddelar var en väst, ett mekatroniskt system och en armbågsskena. Västen fungerade som kraftförankring runt bålen och det kunde justeras för att passa olika kroppstyper. Det mekatroniska systemet aktiverade en lina som var ansluten till armbågsskenan och gav stöd till armarna under rörelse. Rekommendationerna för framtida arbete innefattar ytterligare användartester för att se om ett system av detta slag kan förhindra arbetsrelaterade skador. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Fredin, Svante LU and Ascard, Martin
supervisor
organization
course
MMK820 20162
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Wearable soft robotics, exoskeleton, human power-assist, force anchoring
language
English
id
8901769
date added to LUP
2017-02-01 17:02:37
date last changed
2017-02-01 17:02:37
@misc{8901769,
  abstract     = {{Work related injuries causes personal suffering and economic loss for both companies and individuals. Repetitive work and static postures with the arms can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the shoulder and neck region. This thesis set out to develop a wearable soft robotic arm lifting system using Bioservo Technologies’ Soft Extra Muscle (SEM) technology. The objective was to develop a functional prototype that supports lifting the arms. The vest part of the system was the main focus of this thesis. The intended user for the system is an individual who is in the risk group of MSD in the shoulder and neck region but does not have any work related injuries beforehand.

Initially, a literature study was performed, followed by defining the user needs and product specifications. Previous prototypes had been developed at the company and they were analyzed and learned from before starting to generate concepts. Several prototypes were constructed and they were evaluated primarily through user tests and discussions with Bioservo representatives. During the development process, a heuristic approach was found the most effective since it allowed fast iterations.

The final prototype’s main parts were a vest, a mechatronic system and an elbow brace. The vest served as force anchoring around the torso and it could be adjusted to fit various body types. The mechatronic system actuated a line which was connected to the elbow brace and supported the arms during motion. The recommendations for future work includes additional user tests to see if a system of this kind can prevent work related injuries.}},
  author       = {{Fredin, Svante and Ascard, Martin}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Development and design of a vest for a wearable soft robotic arm lifting system}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}