A Mixed Reality system for the ergonomic assessment of industrial workstations
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ORIGINAL PAPER
A Mixed Reality system for the ergonomic assessment of industrial workstations Fabio Bruno1 · Loris Barbieri1 · Maurizio Muzzupappa1 Received: 3 July 2020 / Accepted: 23 July 2020 / Published online: 30 July 2020 © Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The use of modeling and ergonomic analysis software is a widespread practice in the industrial sector to effectively improve the operator’s well-being and operating comfort within the workplace. In this context, the paper proposes a Mixed Reality system for the ergonomic assessment of industrial workstations. Specifically, the proposed system integrates motion capture tools, a head-mounted display device, and ergonomic analysis software to simulate and analyse the operations to be carried out within a virtual workplace where some physical components, with which the operator interact, are prototyped through 3D printing technology in order to make the simulation as realistic as possible. The proposed Mixed Reality system in fact increases the realism of the simulation and improves the effectiveness of the ergonomics analysis thanks to the haptic feedback that the user perceives when manipulating the physical objects. Keywords Mixed Reality · Ergonomics · Rapid prototyping · Industry 4.0
1 Introduction Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which include all symptoms and disease of the muscle, tendons, joints, and bones caused by inappropriate workmen’s posture, remain the most common work-related health problem in the European Union and workers in all sectors and occupations can be affected [1]. Besides the effects on workers themselves, they lead to high costs to enterprises and society [2]. To prevent and limit these issues, in the Industry 4.0 context, we are assisting in an integration and automation of the most modern and efficient production technologies that allow to improve the working conditions and increase the productivity and production quality of the plants. In the next few years, therefore, there will be an increasingly intense integration of the various production and digital technologies in order to develop an intelligent manufacturing industry characterized by a symbiotic and efficient collaboration between operators, machines, and tools. The improvement of plant productivity and the increase in quality of the working * Loris Barbieri [email protected] 1
Department of Mechanical, Energy and Industrial Engineering (DIMEG), University of Calabria, Ponte P. Bucci, 46C, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy
conditions are closely related to a better efficiency of the workstations. This efficiency process has been carried out for several decades through the use of consolidated ergonomic analysis tools which, starting from the data about operator’s movements and interaction within the working cell, allow to identify different types of critical issues and situations (standardized according to the stature and gender of the operator, the degree of danger and intensity of the effort required) and therefore t
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