Table 3.
Studies from the industrial sector.
| First Author | Aim | Task | Subjects | Instrumentation | Body Segments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villalobos [66] | Present an application of IMUs to measure human activity, and the use of AI to perform task classification and ergonomic assessments in workplace settings. | normal work in a slaughterhouse during a morning shift (8 h) | 20 meat cutters | 1 IMU | dominant wrist |
| Karakikes [67] | To develop a wearable wrist-to-forearm angle measurement system. | screwing task for two screwdrivers (one long and one short) | 12 volunteers | 3 IMU | dominant upper and forearm |
| Tian [68] | To assess the postures that were commonly used in automobile chassis repair operations, and to evaluate shoulder girdle muscle fatigue. | maintaining 4 different postures with different dumbbells for 60 s. | 15 students | 2 sEMG | right trapezius and deltoid |
| Zare [69] | To assess the proportion of time in risky postures for the main joints of the upper limbs in a truck assembly plant and explored the association with musculoskeletal symptoms | task of workstations of a truck assembly plant (2 h) | 13 workers | 3 accelerometers, 2 inclinometers and 2 electro-goniometries | right and left upper and forearms, back, neck and hands |
| Michaud [70] | To describe an ergonomic intervention to reduce lateral epicondylitis in the workstation of a textile logistics centre | pick up, carry and throw some items onto the carousel (2 h). | 93 workers first phase—27 s phase | 7 IMU | trunk, right and left upper and forearms, hands |
| Reinvee [71] | To evaluate the ergonomic benefits of an angle grinder with a rotatable main handle in a cutting task. | use an angle grinder to cut a horizontal steel rod using three wrist postures | 11 workers | 3 sEMG and force-sensing-resistor-based force glove | Dominant upper an forearm |
| Bergsten [72] | To study the extent to which shoulder pain developed during single work shifts of flight baggage handlers. | work shift of handling flight baggage (2.7 h) | 44 baggage handlers | 2 accelerometers | upper arms |
| Palm [73] | To assess potentially harmful work exposure of arm elevation, by comparing work time and leisure, in a population with diverse work tasks. | diverse work tasks, for 1–4 days | 197 workers | 4 accelerometer | right upper arm, back, hip |
| Moriguchi [74] | To evaluate posture, forces required and perceived exertion when loading and unloading the ladder on a utility truck. | loading/unloading a ladder on vehicles | 9 overhead line workers | 2 inclinometers, dynamometer | shoulders |
| Conforti [75] | To examine the motion during lifting and repositioning of different loads. | lifting and repositioning (4 s) performed in two conditions, safe and unsafe | 10 workers | 8 IMU | total body |
| Ershad [76] | To investigate the response of trunk muscles in subjects with chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) while holding unstable dynamic loads. | 12 tasks of static and dynamic holding of loads in neutral positions for 5 s | 12 males with CNLBP and 12 controls | 6 sEMG | right side trunk |
| Johansen [77] | To investigate gender difference in the coordination of the subdivisions of the trapezius muscle during a repetitive box-folding movement task. | repetitive box-folding task for 34 min | 11 males and 11 females volunteers | 3 sEMG | dominant trapezius |
| Jakobsen [78] | To investigate the influence of sex, age, muscle strength, and cardiovascular fitness on manual lifting patterns among blue-collar workers. | manual lifting (5–10 s) | 173 employees (14 workplaces) | 6 sEMG and 2 accelerometers | dominant thigh, shoulder and low-back |
| Porta [79] | To investigate age-related differences in patterns of trunk flexion of workers in the metal working industry. | normal work shift in the metal working industry (8 h) | 33 workers | 1 IMU | trunk |
| Poosanthanasarn [80] | To assess the causes of injuries in sections of a factory, and to improve working conditions using an ergonomics intervention program (EIP) | work shift in pressing and storage sections of the metal auto parts factory | 35 (with EIP) and 17 (no EIP) | 4 sEMG (5 min, 3 times in a day) | back |
| Tjøsvoll [81] | To assess the physical work demands of onshore petroleum maintenance workers. | onshore petroleum maintenance workers day (recorded up to 6 days, 24 h each) | 46 maintenance workers | 5 accelerometers and a heart rate sensor | dominant upper arm, upper and lower leg, trunk |
| Wahlström [82] | To assess upper body postural exposure among airport baggage handlers and determine whether exposure differs between workers at the ramp and baggage sorting areas. | full work shift (8 h) at the airport of baggage handling | 27 baggage handlers | 2 inclinometers | trunk and dominant shoulder |
| Skovlund [83] | To measure muscular workload during stocking activities and the thirteen most common work tasks across supermarket chains | transport, stocking and lifting (10–20 min) | 75 supermarket workers | 6 sEMG | back and shoulders |
| Sander De Bock [84] | To assess the effect of an exoskeleton, Exo4Work, on muscles during simulated occupational work. | different overhead and non-overhead tasks (20 min) | 22 healthy volunteers | 7 sEMG | trunk and right and left upper and forearms |
| Gupta [85] | To investigate the dose–response relation between device-measured forward bending at work and prospective register-based risk of long-term sickness absence (LTSA). | normal work shift (457 min) | 944 workers (93% blue-collar jobs) | 3 IMU | upper back, dominant upper arm and thigh |
| Villumsen [86] | To investigate the association between forward bending of the trunk and low back pain intensity among workers and whether the level of social support modifies the association. | normal workday and leisure day (19.6 h and 22.7 h) | 457 blue-collar workers | 2 accelerometers | trunk |