Development and evaluation of a human-centered adaptive workstation for large planar workpieces: prospects for end-of-life vehicle disassembly

Performing manual tasks involves ergonomic risk factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders. This paper presents an adaptive workstation designed to adjust the working height according to individual anthropometric characteristics and evaluates its effects on posture, perceived strain, and the duration of value-adding activities. The study examined abstracted manual tasks with relevance to end-of-life vehicle disassembly. A proof-of-concept study with twelve participants shows that more frequent height adjustments reduce exposure to ergonomically unfavorable joint-angle ranges and perceived strain without significantly affecting the duration of value-adding activities. Adaptive systems therefore have the potential to reduce awkward postures in end-of-life vehicle disassembly. The findings should be examined in a dedicated disassembly use case, taking into account varying product conditions and appropriate positioning of the work object for tasks requiring high force exertion. Practical Relevance : This paper presents an adaptive workstation that can be adjusted for various (dis-)assembly and maintenance applications. The findings of the proof-of-concept study suggest that adaptive systems offer prospects for reducing physical stress and strain during manual tasks.