A Smart-Wear Device for Postural Real-Time Feedback in Industrial 4.0 Settings Using DREAM Approach

Abstract

Concepts underlying the so-called Industry 4.0 are an opportunity to develop strategies based on the merging of the physical, digital, and biological worlds, enabled by new technologies. This work reports the design proposal for an upside body wear involving industry workers to capture body signs, including real-time postural assessment, that could indicate risk for musculoskeletal disorders. Discover, Research, Engage, Approve, Make methodology allows us to consider factors such as situations, contexts, company employees, and workers (pe, gender, age, or type of task) to have a complete representation of the system. A series of participatory observations were performed in the industrial context which contributed to establishing a deeper relationship between the stakeholders involved around the theme with the analytical portion of the model enabling work in tandem with industrial partners. From participatory observation and worker feedback, the team developed a soft wearable to monitor the body conditions to prevent work-related injuries, instead of an exoskeleton to enhance the body. Nevertheless, the design team started to create concepts of soft wearables, always paying attention to the limitation of the components being used by the upper body device, designing where the circuits would be located around the body, resorting to a life-sized dummy as a model, and testing its arm movements. Future developments include the integration of several partial prototypes that will generate a final device that will integrate all the functions.