Making Development of an Inflatable Structure Device to Support Forearms in Holding and Lifting Down Heavy Loads with Braking Mechanism

Abstract

Since heavy objects are transported in the factory for a long time and repeatedly, the physical load is applied and may cause injury. In such a work environment, to reduce the load, it is devised to avoid lifting up, and the movements performed by humans are often limited to holding, turning, and lifting down. In this work environment, the authors have been conducting research on method for supporting forearms in holding and lifting down heavy loads with braking mechanism. In this research, we focused on the air compressor installed in many factories and worked on the development of an inflatable structure device. During holding a heavy load, the inflatable structure is expanded to increase the rigidity and support the load of heavy objects. In lifting down the heavy load, the lifting down speed is suppressed by limiting the air that flows from the inflatable structure. As a result of the device experience, the possibility of the load reduction effect has been found in the trapezius and biceps, focused on EMG.