Field Evaluation of an Active Back-Support Exoskeleton for Palletizing Tasks in a Logistics Warehouse

Back-support exoskeletons are emerging as a promising solution to enhance workers’ safety, performance, and well-being in logistics environments. In warehouses, order picking and palletizing tasks impose substantial physical loads on workers and are associated with an increased risk of developing low back pain. However, evidence on exoskeleton evaluation in real industrial settings with actual workers remains limited. This study presents a pilot field test assessing the XoTrunk active back-support exoskeleton in a logistics warehouse involving six workers. To assist workers in palletizing, exoskeleton torques were modulated by a novel control strategy that integrates acceleration-based intention detection with muscle-activity-based torque modulation that scales with the handled load. The aim was to evaluate the workers’ perceptions of the exoskeleton in terms of assistance, comfort, usability, and acceptance and to assess the reduction in metabolic cost previously observed in laboratory studies. Results showed a non-significant decrease of 7.6% in average metabolic cost when using the exoskeleton compared to working without it (t(5) = 1.6, p> 0.05). Nonetheless, some drawbacks emerged during field use: comfort issues and movement hindrance were frequently reported, affecting overall user acceptance. These findings highlight the importance of user-centered field tests to assess exoskeleton performance, support companies in making evidence-based decisions, and enhance workers’ awareness and acceptance to ultimately improve industrial ergonomics and safety.