It all started with a simple question: how can we avoid back pain among our operators as much as possible? From this need came the exoskeleton project, an initiative developed in collaboration with the University of Parma and three other companies in the area, with the aim of improving the ergonomics of manual handling of loads.

‘We selected four groups of three people from different assembly lines, and so did the other companies, involving a total of around 10-15 workers per company,’ explains Alfredo Salazar, HSE Specialist at Dulevo and promoter of the project. ‘The project is divided into six phases, starting with a physiatric examination and lumbar electromyography to collect clinical data on the participants' backs. After 30 days of using the exoskeleton, we repeat the tests to assess any improvements. The following 29 days are done without the exoskeleton and then wear it again on the 30th so that the next medical examination can show any tail effect.’

The aim is not to increase the strength of the operators, but to teach them to better manage their daily movements, reducing the risk of biomechanical overload. ‘This device does not replace lifting equipment, but it helps a lot in less comfortable and intuitive movements, or in repetitive ones. As of today we are about 50 per cent of the project and by the end of the summer we will have the final results. The first comments from the operators are encouraging, there are great benefits, especially at the workstations where it is necessary to spend more time standing. If the data collected at the end of the activity is positive, we will consider the continuous introduction of the exoskeleton in the company,’ Salazar concludes.