Occupational Exoskeletons as Symbionts: Defining Operator-Exoskeleton Interactions

Abstract

The fourth industrial revolution heralds the emergence of the Operator 4.0, characterized by the augmentation of physical, sensory or cognitive capabilities of workers. This transformation involves a shift from collaborative activities between artificial and human agents toward a more radical coupling of these two entities (Romero et al., 2017). The novel forms of interactions resulting from these couplings no longer precisely align with taxonomies traditionally proposed in ergonomics for relationship between operators and artificial agents. In response, the concept of symbiosis has been introduced to characterize these new human cyber-physical systems (Gerber et al., 2020; Inga et al., 2023). Among the technologies presumed to enhance operators' physical capabilities, occupational exoskeletons are frequently cited. They contribute to the development of the "super strength-operator" aspect of Operator 4.0 (Ruppert et al., 2018). Defined as "wearables, external mechanical structures that enhance the power of a person" (de Looze et al., 2016, p.671), exoskeletons constitute a promising set of technologies in mitigating biomechanical risk factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) (Theurel & Desbrosses, 2019). Currently, attempts to implement exoskeletons in the workplace are accelerating, raising questions about their acceptance by operators (Elprama et al., 2022). Interactions with these devices, as they induce close and permanent contact with the user, are interesting to address from the perspective of symbiotic relationships. However, the qualification of interactions with such devices is not often addressed in the literature. In the multivariate perspective of the symbiosis concept by Inga et al. (2023), the human’s experience of symbiosis consists of four constructs: embodiment, flow state, sense of agency, and acceptance. Then, acceptance represents only one facet of the experience dimension of symbiotic relationships. To comprehensively grasp the challenges associated with the use of exoskeletons and the potential symbiotic relationship between operators and exoskeletons, it is essential to broaden the comprehension of operator-exoskeleton interactions beyond acceptance. An initial step towards achieving this understanding involves clarifying the terminology used to describe interactions between humans and exoskeletons. By positioning exoskeletons as potential symbionts and drawing insights from the ergonomics literature on symbiosis, this article aims to clarify the nature of operator-exoskeleton interactions.

Keywords: occupational exoskeleton, adoption, symbiosis, human-technology interaction, health and safety

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1005058