Requirements for a chainsaw operator’s exoskeleton

Abstract

Despite the mechanisation of the forest industry, the profession of a tree feller is still in demand. A tree feller with chainsaw works under great physical strain on all muscle groups. A distinctive feature of the job is the need to constantly change working postures and the need to hold a fairly heavy petrol-powered chainsaw in your outstretched arms. Facilitating the working conditions of the tree feller by reducing his or her physical fatigue is an urgent task. In order to achieve the purpose of this work, it was necessary to investigate the working conditions at a tree feller's workplace, to study the exoskeleton designs used in different branches of industry, and to formulate the requirements for a chainsaw operator’s exoskeleton design. To achieve the goal and solve the designated tasks, the use of patent information search methods, among scientific and technical literature, comparison, functional-structural-technological analysis, allowed one to establish the currently achieved technical level of exoskeletons and trends in their development. Thanks to the use of the brainstorming method in addition to the aforementioned methods, it was possible to achieve the final result of the work, which consists in the formulation of requirements for an exoskeleton for a chainsaw operator.

Keywords

• exoskeleton
• chainsaw operator
• logging
• tree felling with chainsaw