Reducing Ergonomic Strain in Warehouse Logistics Operations by using Wearable Computers

Publication date: 2018Source: Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 238Author(s): Anca Mocan, Anca DraghiciAbstractErgonomics is the study that deals with the design of products and processes that improve both human well-being and overall system performance. In order to reduce the ergonomic strain that the workers in the warehouse sector experience, while also increasing competitiveness and tact time, businesses have to understand the importance of emerging technologies and how these can be applied successfully in their working area.This paper offers a grading of existent wearable computer technology that can be used within a warehouse environment, based on their capacity to reduce ergonomic strain both by means of reducing or eliminating repetitive motions as well as by increasing scanning usability through their software integration with existing ERP systems. Besides the ergonomic efficiency, the analysis also looks at the necessary financial investment and the training effort needed to implement such a solution in order to offer a holistic view of the topic to decision makers. The detailed explanation of the results also offers a purchase decision framework, based on the current market trends in warehouse technologies and on the future development capabilities of the technologies analyzed.
Source: Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research