2nd ICAI 2022

International Conference on Automotive Industry 2022

Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic

After the simulation using the kinematic suit, the workplace is tested according to the established ergonomic limits. Subsequently, the data will be processed and evaluated. Then critical parts of the process are optimised, and standards are updated. 2.1 Kinematic suit measurement By using virtual reality technology and creating a virtual model of the workplace, it is possible to simulate real activities already in the phase before the actual implementation in production (Soussé et al., 2020). The innovative approach in this direction follows the trend triggered by the Czech legislation, which sets the conditions for occupational health protection. One of the conditions is the breakdown of risk factors of working conditions, their detection and evaluation of physical load in relation to working positions. This evaluation establishes a categorisation of work that defines the probable adverse effect on the worker’s health (Nagymáté et al., 2018). A person performing real activities on a workplace model is dressed in a Motion Capture kinematic suit that transfers real movements into a virtual environment (Li and Zheng, 2021). The suit records real-time data on the worker‘s movement (Gregor et al., 2015). This data is subsequently recalculated and evaluated using a created application respecting the set parameters according to the Czech legislation. This involves the evaluation of the position of the neck, torso and upper limbs when performing working task. For a more detailed evaluation, the neck and trunk movements of the worker can be divided into flexion/extension, abduction/adduction and rotation. The movement of the right and left shoulder can similarly be divided into flexion/extension and abduction/ adduction. Using the developed tool, measured positions are classified according to Czech legislation into acceptable, conditionally acceptable and unacceptable positions, with a limit of 160 minutes per eight-hour shift in the conditionally acceptable position and 30 minutes in the unacceptable position (Ministerstvo zdravotnictví [online], 2022). Due to the large volume of recorded data (up to 120 frames per second), higher accuracy and objectivity of measurement is achieved compared to classic workstation design approaches (classical goniometer). The application evaluating the measured data provides an overview of the ergonomic suitability of the solution and highlights the shortcomings in the workstation design. The standardization of the evaluation parameters by the application eliminates the need for an ergonomics specialist and as a result, time and financial savings are achieved (Azizi et al., 2019). 2.2 Workplace model optimization in VR The virtual reality workplace model allows you to test changes in the workplace concept and adjust its parameters to achieve ergonomic improvements (Delangle et al., 2017). Thanks to these possibilities, it is possible to identify problem areas in the process and optimize them in the workplace model (Azizi et al., 2019). At the same time, potential costs linked to additional modifications to an existing workplace are avoided. The virtual reality workplace model is further linked to the creation of workplace standards and work activities. At the same time, the model can be used to train workers when they start a job (Feldmann et al., 2019).

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