Journal
SENSORS
Volume 23, Issue 4, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/s23042064
Keywords
risk assessment; lifting biomechanics; ergonomics overexertion injuries; work-related musculoskeletal disorders
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Wearable sensors, such as IMUs and pressure insoles, can enhance the ergonomic assessment of LBD risks during material handling. This study explores the accuracy of combining trunk motion and under-the-foot force data in estimating LBD risk, as well as the improvement compared to using trunk motion alone. The results indicate that the combination of trunk IMU and pressure insoles with trained algorithms can accurately assess LBD risks, questioning the adequacy of a single IMU for such assessments.
Low back disorders (LBDs) are a leading occupational health issue. Wearable sensors, such as inertial measurement units (IMUs) and/or pressure insoles, could automate and enhance the ergonomic assessment of LBD risks during material handling. However, much remains unknown about which sensor signals to use and how accurately sensors can estimate injury risk. The objective of this study was to address two open questions: (1) How accurately can we estimate LBD risk when combining trunk motion and under-the-foot force data (simulating a trunk IMU and pressure insoles used together)? (2) How much greater is this risk assessment accuracy than using only trunk motion (simulating a trunk IMU alone)? We developed a data-driven simulation using randomized lifting tasks, machine learning algorithms, and a validated ergonomic assessment tool. We found that trunk motion-based estimates of LBD risk were not strongly correlated (r range: 0.20-0.56) with ground truth LBD risk, but adding under-the-foot force data yielded strongly correlated LBD risk estimates (r range: 0.93-0.98). These results raise questions about the adequacy of a single IMU for LBD risk assessment during material handling but suggest that combining an IMU on the trunk and pressure insoles with trained algorithms may be able to accurately assess risks.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available