Design and Construction of a Prototype Backpack-Type Ergonomic Cutting System with Exoskeleton for Oil Palm Fruit

This research details the design and construction process of a backpack-type ergonomic cutting system for African palm fruit implemented in the San Vicente community. Limoncocha parish, province of Sucumbíos – Ecuador. In the community of San Vicente, the harvesting process is carried out by hand, inspection of the land to be harvested (power lines), observation of the fruit palm by palm, working in a safe area (free from falling fruit), the cutting tool used is a stick, usually made of wood with a sickle at one of its ends, the movement is alternative made by the arms at angles outside the comfort zone and overhead. A passive exoskeleton has been adapted to the cutting system in the upper limbs, which will serve as support for the user so that their work is carried out comfortably, reducing muscle activity in the shoulders and arms, and thus reducing the times cutting and improve harvest yield. The anthropometric study was based on the Ecuadorian technical standard NTE INEN-ISO 7250-1 and on Title III of the Regulations for the safety and health of workers and improvement of the work environment. For the design of the prototype, the mechanical components were designed with the support of the Autodesk Inventor 2021 software. For the electronic and control system, the identification of the plant was implemented with the support of the MATLAB software, the transfer function of the behavior of the system and parameters of the PID controller and the position and orientation of the exoskeleton.