UL team backs heavy lifting project

Researchers at the University of Limerick have joined in an EU effort to fight the scourge of back trouble for workers whose routine involves constant lifting.

The UL team has been awarded €480,000 to carry out part of a huge study of manual handling in the workplace to minimise the risk of lower back injury, with the aim of designing a robot.

Dr Leonard O’Sullivan, lead researcher said: “About 44 million EU workers are affected by work related musculoskeletal disorders every year, with an annual cost in excess of €240bn to the European economy.

“The Robomate project aims to develop an exoskeleton-robot for use in the workplace and in turn reduce back injury. Our team has extensive expertise in occupational health research, which, combined with our expanding research expertise in product design, will determine key technology advances for the exoskeleton”

Upwards of 65% of workers in the EU perform lifting and carry loads for at least a quarter of their normal work time. Work-related, low back pain and injuries are the most common musculoskeletal disorders; these are directly related to frequent manual handling of heavy loads.

The UL team is working on a collaboration with the Human Factors and Product Design Research Group and the Centre for Physical Activity and Health Research. Dr O’Sullivan lectures at the Department of Design and Manufacturing Technology at UL.

The robot project is co-ordinated by Zurich University and involves 11 industry and academic partners from across Europe.