2015 Volume 55 Issue 12 Pages 2609-2617
Handling heavy-load materials is the most common operation in iron and steel making processes. There are numerous operations in which workers directly deal with heavy loads without equipment. The refractory constructions in the converter and AOD (Argon Oxygen Decarburization) furnaces are representative examples. Transferring thousands of heavy materials repeatedly over a long period of time can not only cause musculoskeletal diseases, which occur 70% on the waist and 30% on other parts such as wrists, elbows, shoulders, etc. but also contain latent risks of safety accidents.
In this paper, a novel stand-alone powered exoskeleton robot suit was developed for assisting the strength of waist, lower back, and hip joints that are physically vulnerable during handling heavy-load materials. The simple robot structure reduces the frame weight as well enabling easy motion control. The robot is capable of moving freely due to the stand-alone actuators. The developed novel clutch system generates a smooth transition against various working conditions. This technology significantly diminishes the physical fatigue of operators and will subsequently prevent further muscular skeletal disorders as well as safety accidents.
