Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA have developed a sensor mat for standing workstations in collaboration with isoloc Schwingungstechnik GmbH.
They help to improve ergonomic working and prevent postural problems and the resulting absences from work.
So far, sensor mats have mainly been used in factory halls where humans and robots work closely together. They are designed to be placed in the vicinity of robots and are used for occupational safety: as soon as their sensors register an employee, they switch off the robot and thus prevent serious accidents at work. The sensor mats could also have a positive effect at standing workstations without robots. They help to improve ergonomic working and prevent postural problems and the resulting absences from work. This is because standing for long periods of time, where the same leg is always loaded more than the other or the weight is unevenly distributed on the feet, can lead to pelvic misalignments, tense and sore muscles in the spine as well as in the legs, neck and shoulders in the long term. Intervertebral disc damage and increased stress on the joints due to altered, unfavorable movement sequences can be the result.
In the Functional Materials department at Fraunhofer IPA Stuttgart, a sensor mat for standing workstations was developed together with isoloc, whose capacitive sensor technology detects the position of an employee's feet in real time and recognizes weight shifts. "This allows them to check for themselves whether they are adopting a healthy posture and correct it immediately if necessary," says Fraunhofer development engineer Stübing.
