Field study on the use and acceptance of an arm support exoskeleton in plastering

Exoskeleton use in day-to-day plastering may face several challenges. Not all plasterer's tasks comprise of movements that will be supported by the exoskeleton and might even be hindered. Furthermore, use in practice might be jeopardised by time pressure, colleagues being negative, discomfort, or any other hindrance of the exoskeleton. We set up a field study, in which 39 plasterers were equipped with an exoskeleton for six weeks, to study exoskeleton usage. Moreover, we studied workload and fatigue, behaviour, productivity and quality, advantages and disadvantages, and acceptance. Exoskeleton use was dependent on the task performed but did not change over the course of the six weeks. For three tasks, higher exoskeleton use was associated with lower perceived loads, although differences were small. Advantages outweighed disadvantages for the majority of our population. This study shows that a majority of plasterers will wear the exoskeleton and is enthusiastic about the load reducing effect. Practitioner summary: For exoskeletons to make an impact on the health and well-being of workers, they need to be applicable in real work situations and accepted by the users. This study shows that 65% of the plasterers in this study want to use the exoskeleton in the future, for specific tasks.