Paper:
Muscle Suit Development and Factory Application
Hiroshi Kobayashi, Takamitsu Aida, and Takuya Hashimoto
Department of Mechanical Engineering Tokyo University of Science, 1-14-6 Kudankita, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0073, Japan
Technological progress has liberated most industrial personnel in developed nations from heavy lifting tasks. Such work remains largely unchanged, however, in the fields of agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, among others. Such tasks are an important issue due to their potential for triggering work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The use of the McKibben artificial muscle has opened the way to the introduction of “muscle suits” – compact, lightweight, reliable, wearable “assist-bots” enabling factory personnel to lift and carry weights greater than conventionally possible.
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