Ceit to develop innovative software alongside Cyber Human Systems in order to tackle muscular-skeletal disorders within the industrial milieu

The Ceit Technology Centre and the company Cyber Human Systems are joining forces on the MonitoreX project in order to develop software that assesses the ergonomics and physiological state of workers while they are performing their tasks using exoskeletons.

The project has been funded by the European Commission and attempts to reduce financial costs and the impact on workers’ quality of life, encouraging safer and healthier working environments.

Muscular-skeletal disorders currently account for around 60% of occupational diseases, generating costs of over 6 billion euros, and which are covered by Spanish mutual insurance companies owing to temporary sick leave. This scenario not only affects the health and wellbeing of workers, but also carries considerable financial weight, accounting for around 40% of costs deriving from occupational diseases and accidents at work.

Innovation in favour of occupational health

The Ceit Technology Centre and the company Cyber Human Systems have joined forces on the MonitoreX project with a view to tackling this problem in an innovative way. The project has given rise to the development of software whose aim is to analyse the behaviour of workers who wear exoskeletons, from an ergonomic and physiological standpoint.

One of the main features of MonitoreX is its capacity for remote monitoring, which is fed by real-time data provided by a set of sensors fitted in the exoskeleton structure. This information enables the ergonomics and physiological state of workers to be assessed while they are performing their tasks, and this data is essential for designing exoskeletons which will be better adjusted and adapted to each specific task.

The initiative has been funded by the European Commission within the framework of the SHOP4CF plan and has been set in motion thanks to a combination of Cyber Human Systems’ experience, specialising as it does in the design and manufacture of exoskeletons for industrial and military use, and that of Ceit – a technology centre with a proven track record in robotics and ergonomic analysis.

Reduction in costs and increase in health and safety at work

MonitoreX thus represents a significant step towards an improvement in occupational health and the prevention of muscular-skeletal diseases within the industrial milieu. As a result of this solution, it is hoped that financial costs and the impact on workers’ quality of life will be reduced, thus encouraging safer and healthier working environments.