Usability Evaluation Exoskeleton Systems in of Automotive Industry Maria Victoria Cabrera Aguilera, Bernardo Bastos da Fonseca, Marcello Silva e Santos, Nelson Tavares Matias and Nilo Antonio de Souza Sampaio CONTENTS 4,1 Introduction sont a 4.2 Work Situation Where the Study Was Developed 4.2.1 Exoskeleton Systems Features. 4.2.2 Workstation. sont 4.2.3 Operators Who Participated in the Exoskeleton Test 4.3 Approach to Assess the Exoskeleton Usability Level. 44 Results... nnn 45 Conclusion. References... 4.1 INTRODUCTION ‘The automotive industry seeks to achieve better robustness and accuracy from auto- ‘mated devices in its facilities. In this context, some workplaces require complex. body movements, reasoning and precise skills from the operator, whereas current robotics technologies have some limitations regarding the feasibility, perception, speed or flexibility to be implemented in workstations (Sylla et al., 2014), In Brazil, utilization of exoskeleton systems is prevalent in automotive industries ‘with manual tasks during the vehicle assembly, which demand postural loads, repeti- ‘tive movements and reduction of task timing. Manual assembly production systems provide high flexibility; however, it yields low productivity compared to fully auto- ‘mated systems. In order to increase productivity and maintain flexibility, future work systems need to incorporate high levels of automation that complement or increase the ability of the workers that perform manual tasks (Fletcher etal, 2020). DOI: 10.1201/9780429343513-6 7Evaluation of Exoskeleton Systems 49 ‘The exoskeleton is an external mechanical structure that can be worn and is designed to function in harmony with a human being to provide support or enhance their ability. There are two types of exoskeletons: it can be passive when it pro- vvides support or protection or active by providing additional power (Karvouniari etal, 2018), ‘The growing interest in exoskeletons as an alternative to control physical demands, especially those related to manual handling of material, is discussed by De Looze et al. (2015). In addition, De Looze et al. point out the need for more systematic research to identify the impact of using an exoskeleton. ‘This chapter presents a usability study developed in an automotive industry assembly line where a passive upper limbs exoskeleton was tested by produc tion operators. The aim of this chapter is to present the approach used by the ergonomic team of the automotive company to assess the usability level of the exoskeleton used by operators during the real work situation in the real assembly vehicles processes functioning. Throughout the test, there were no changes in production parameters, such as the production cycle and speed of the assembly Tine. 4.2. WORK SITUATION WHERE THE STUDY WAS DEVELOPED Different areas of the company were involved in the exoskeleton test such as manu- facturing, industrial engineering, process engineering and ergonomics as well as the ‘equipment company employee. ‘Manufacturing determined which operators would participate in the test accord- ing to the degree of experience in the workstation. The operator performed all the tasks of the station wearing the exoskeleton without any change in the operating procedure, Industrial engineering analyzed the time per operation while performing ‘on-site operations to identify any change in the work cycle time, The study related to the functioning and maintenance of the equipment under the responsibility of the process engineering area ‘The ergonomics area was responsible for performing the test and the usability level assessment of the exoskeleton equipment. The exoskeleton company employee ‘was responsible to do necessary adjustments in the equipment along with the test, according to the operators’ request. 4.2.1 Exosketeron Sysrems FEATuRes ‘The exoskeleton model used is characterized by providing passive upper limb assis- tance that elevates and supports the operators’ arms in their activities involving ‘movements or holding with arms raised and extended from chest level to above the hhead. It has an adjustable vest, a total weight of 4.3 kg with elevation assistance for the upper limbs adjustable in four levels (Ito 4), between 2.2 kg and 6.8 kg per arm. ‘The reach area at work height is between 152 and 193 cm, The model allows the use cof work tools while performing manufacturing tasks50 Handbook of Usability and User Experience 4.2.2 Worxstation. In the company, the workstation where the exoskeleton tests were performed, the vehicle body passes over the assembly line suspended by hangers, and the operators work under the body's floor. The distance between the underside of the body and the oor is approximately 1750 mm (Figure 4.1), where the operators perform their tasks in two different ranges of regions. ‘The definition of the workstations where the exoskeleton was tested met the fol- lowing criteria: operations performed under the vehicle's body, which implies the adoption and/or holding of shoulder postures above 45°, and workstations that have ‘complaints linked to the musculoskeletal request of the upper limbs. Based on these criteria the assembly sector of the manufacturing plant was selected. ‘The sclected workstations at the assembly sector are characterized by locating in an open area cooled by directed fans where each operator performs their tasks over a sliding platform that moves along with the bodywork enclosing the work area (Figure 4.2). The working tools used are pistol and angle screwdrivers, weighing. approximately 2.7 kg and 3.15 kg, respectively. During the execution of the tasks, the operators pick up several parts from the car kit, assemble and tie them up, which results in dynamic and holding movements of the trigger and shoulder abduction for more than 30% of the cycle time, FIGURE 4.1. Suspended vehicle on the assembly line and characteristic ofthe workstation ‘where operators perform their activities under the vehicle.Evaluation of Exoskeleton Systems 3 FIGURE 4.2, Workstation at the assembly sector. Operator performs the part assembly 4.2.3 Optrators Wi10 PARTICIPATED IN THE EXOSKELETON Test In order to perform the exoskeleton test, four male operators between 20 and 35, years old participated with a height between 1680 mm and 1720 mm. They have approximately one year of experience working in the selected function, The test at the assembly sector occurred in two periods: atthe end of the first work shift and at the beginning of the second work shift 4.3 APPROACH TO ASSESS THE EXOSKELETON USABILITY LEVEL [Before starting the test, each participating operator received explanations from the ‘human factors and ergonomies professional (HFE) about the objective of the study done in the production line and the importance of performing his tasks normally. ‘Then the equipment company employee explained the function of the exoskeleto and helped the operator to dress it, Then, the operator went to his workstation and started performing the tasks. In the first minutes of using the equipment, the exo- skeleton company employee adjusted the equipment parameters as the operators requested, The duration of the tests at each workstation was approximately 30 min- ‘utes, the equivalent of 16 cycle times, which were recorded in audio and video, ‘The usability level of the exoskeleton in the vehicle assembly line was obtained through the System Usability Seale (SUS) (Brooke, 1996), which consists of aEvaluation of Exoskeleton Systems 33 4.4 RESULTS ‘Tables 1-4 show the SUS calculations for each operator who participated in the test ‘with the exoskeleton, Considering the activities carried out by the four operators the ‘same, with the same production parameters and without changes in the environment ‘and work conditions, the result ofthe SUS questionnaire for each operator was added and the arithmetic mean was obtained. Thus, the final result of the level of usability ‘of the exoskeleton for the vehicle assembly sector was obtained, ‘According to the results of Tables 1-4 and the scale of 0 to 100, the usability scores obtained in the test with each operator who tested the exoskeleton were dif ferent, as shown in Figure 44. The score for the usability level of operator 2 was 25 (Table 4.2), which can be considered low. Operators 1 (Table 4.1) and 3 (Table 4.3) hhad the same usability score, which was 55. This score can be considered a low= to-moderate usability level. Operator 4 presented a usability level score of 72.5 (Table 4.4), which can be considered moderate to satisfactory ‘The results from the operators who performed the test with the exoskeleton at the end ofthe first work shift were 25 and 55. The average usability score was 40, ‘which means low usability. On the other hand, the average operator usability score at the beginning of the second work shift was 63.75, which represents a moderate to satisfactory usability level. It is possible that this difference is a consequence of the ‘moment when the tests were performed, considering that operators 2 and 3 were at the end of the work shift and, consequently, they were fatigued. Operators 1 and 4 participated in the exoskeleton test at the beginning of the work shift, which repre- sents a low level of fatigue. This situation may have impacted the usability scores that were tallied up. 100 0 — so 0 oo 0 wv 30 20 w 0 Operator! Operator? Operator Operator 4 Arithmetic ‘mean FIGURE 4.4. Exoskeleton usability seore and arithmetic mean,