Forces: A Motion Capture-Based Ergonomic Method for the Today’s World

Marín Boné, Javier (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Marín Zurdo, José J. (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: Approximately three of every five workers are affected by musculoskeletal disorders, especially in production environments. In this regard, workstation ergonomic evaluations are especially beneficial for conducting preventive actions. Nevertheless, today’s context demonstrates that traditional ergonomic methods should lead to smart ergonomic methods. This document introduces the Forces ergonomic method, designed considering the possibilities of inertial motion capture technology and its applicability to evaluating actual workstations. This method calculates the joint risks for each posture and provides the total risk for the assessed workstation. In this calculation, Forces uses postural measurement and a kinetic estimation of all forces and torques that the joints support during movement. This paper details the method’s fundamentals to achieve structural validity, demonstrating that all parts that compose it are logical and well-founded. This method aims to aid prevention technicians in focusing on what matters: making decisions to improve workers’ health. Likewise, it aims to answer the current industry needs and reduce musculoskeletal disorders caused by repetitive tasks and lower the social, economic, and productivity losses that such disorders entail.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.3390/s21155139

Año: 2021

Publicado en: Sensors 21, 15 (2021), 5139 [30 pp.]
ISSN: 1424-8220

Factor impacto JCR: 3.847 (2021)

Categ. JCR: CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL rank: 29 / 87 = 0.333 (2021) - Q2 - T2
Categ. JCR: INSTRUMENTS & INSTRUMENTATION rank: 19 / 64 = 0.297 (2021) - Q2 - T1
Categ. JCR: ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC rank: 95 / 274 = 0.347 (2021) - Q2 - T2

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 6.4 - Engineering (Q1) - Physics and Astronomy (Q1) - Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (Q2)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 0.803 - Analytical Chemistry (Q1) - Biochemistry (Q1) - Instrumentation (Q1) - Information Systems (Q1) - Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Q1)

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/UZ/ID-ERGO Research group

Tipo y forma: Artículo (Versión definitiva)

Área (Departamento): Área Proyectos de Ingeniería (Dpto. Ingeniería Diseño Fabri.)