Abstract
Industry 4.0 is the implementation of intelligent technologies to increase productivity and reduce the associated biomechanical risks [1]. From a general perspective, the integration of ergonomics and human factors requirements in human-robot collaborative (HRC) systems, such as collaborative robots (CoBots), represents a new option to reduce the physical effort of workers during the performance of manual material handling (MMH) activities and to introduce new ergonomic interventions for the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMDs). As the use of CoBots in manufacturing has recently increased significantly, all potential benefits need to be thoroughly investigated and proven, especially in the MMH activities where the physical interaction of the worker with the CoBot takes place. While the safety in this new hybrid scenario is widely studied, the effects on workers' health are still limited [2]. The present study aims to investigate the biomechanical parameters of workers performing an industrial use case with (wB) and without (woB) a dual-arm CoBot.