Work

New Approach to Sustainable Physical Workload Assessment Using a Smart Glove

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Assessing grip strength is fundamental to ergonomics, medicine, sports, and rehabilitation, as it reflects the functional capabilities of the upper limb. The main goal of this paper is to design and create a device that measures hand force to help keep workers’ physical workload safe and sustainable in factories. The paper looks at the long-term health and safety of employees, explaining what sensors and methods can be used to measure hand force and pressure. It describes a new device for measuring hand grip, which was tested and adjusted in real factory conditions. This device could be used to measure force when using tools and to check for risks of heavy physical strain at work. The system helps find possible injury risks in any type of workplace, especially where people need to grip with their hands many times. It checks if workers use too much force, especially in jobs with repeated tasks where the same hand movement happens again and again. The text suggests that it is important to track hand forces during any job that repeats more than 40 times in a shift, no matter how long the shift is. The system is made up of a smart glove and software for analysis. Its purpose is to estimate how much force is needed to complete a task safely, not the maximum force a person can make. The goal is to measure the required force for the job so that workers’ workload remains safe and healthy over the long term.

Source: Applied Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/app152312798

Authors: Martin Gaso, Ján Zuzik, Luboslav Dulina, Mariana Machova, Beata Furmannova

Institutions: University of Žilina, University of Bielsko-Biała

Language: English

Topic: Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896