Development of a stand-Alone powered exoskeleton robot suit in steel manufacturing

Abstract

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 refrac-tory 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.