Field study on the use and acceptance of an arm support exoskeleton in plastering.

Exoskeleton use in day-to-day plastering may face several challenges. Not all plasterer's tasks comprise of movements that will be supported by the exoskeleton and might even be hindered. Furthermore, use in practice might be jeopardized by time pressure, colleagues being negative, discomfort or any other hindrance of the exoskeleton.We set up a field study, in which 39 plasterers were equipped with an exoskeleton for six weeks, to study exoskeleton usage. Moreover, we studied workload and fatigue, behavior, productivity and quality, advantages and disadvantages, and acceptance.Exoskeleton use was dependent on the task performed, but did not change over the course of the six weeks. For three tasks, higher exoskeleton use was associated with lower perceived loads, although differences were small. Advantages outweighed disadvantages for the majority of our population. This study shows that a majority of plasterers will wear the exoskeleton and is enthusiastic about the load reducing effect.