The committee ofAFNOR published in 2017 an agreement providing tools and methodological guidelines which will lead to the publication in 2021 of a standard of ergonomic recommendations for the use of robots and physical assistance devices (RAP/DAP) in a work situation.
Who is part of this working committee? What are the challenges and why is it necessary?
We went to meet Yonnel Giovanelli, AFNOR expert and head of the Ergonomics & Organizational and Human Factors division at SNCF, to get him to explain everything about the standardization of exoskeletons.
What does this standard contain?
The AFNOR committee brings together numerous institutions, manufacturers and companies that use exoskeletons in business. The objective of this commission is to pass data to the output of standards for provide a legislative framework around these new technologies.
The standard being drafted (X35 800) is based on ergonomic recommendations for physical assistance devices and robots (DAP and RAP) with restraint.
This publication is about The global approach to integrating an exoskeleton : from the assessment of needs, to the choice of exoskeletons in relation to needs, from the evaluation of their use to the design of an exoskeleton to finish with the deployment phase.
What is the current status of exoskeleton obligations in companies?
On the business side, there are already several regulations such as 9 general principles of prevention.
A standard was also published in 2019, by the Union for Mechanical Standardization (UNM), which defines terms relating to terminology And give a Classification of the main robot families and DAP. This standard also provides a non-exhaustive list of characteristics, mechanical and electrical quantities depending on the application and the need to allow the development of technical specifications to guide the choice of a RAP or its design.
On the manufacturer side, the CE marking is mandatory to sell an exoskeleton in France, certifying that the product meets certain safety requirements.
What developments have occurred since the creation of AFNOR?
A lot of work was done between 2015 and 2017, with the creation of a French platform, where members share exoskeleton integration experiences.
Since its creation, the positions of both parties have evolved. Manufacturers are more in an approach that listens to users and this is reflected in the commercial approach, which is gradually transformed into Exoskeleton integration process. The exchanges have really brought added value for user companies but also for future companies.
Why is it important?
The challenges are numerous: today, how do we certify an exoskeleton? Do you have to certify PPE? or certify in machine directive?
The objective is to have the vision of user companies who are soliciting manufacturers. The members of the working group share their experiences, which makes it possible to compare the different exoskeletons, See what works and what doesn't.
It is not possible to prescribe or impose things to do, it is a question of show what the best practices are
Between the manufacturer's protocol and the way businesses operate, which varies from one company to another: what is needed is to adapt!
And on the European and international side?
At the European level, there is the CEN (European Committee for Standardization), a platform with companies and manufacturers.
What is important is that this platform Creates knowledge. We can say that France was a pioneer with the platform, now we must show our positioning as a precursor and above all share our experiences.
Internationally, there is theASTM International, compared to France where we are interested in industrial exoskeletons, now we share on all types of exoskeletons (medical, military, etc.). The work is different because we first look for all the written standards that are directly or indirectly related to exoskeletons in order to summarize them before writing standards.
What are the longer term perspectives?
France is a relatively advanced country, even if at the moment there is no technical maturity or use. It's like for the generation that was born with the internet or the mobile phone, it takes time to adapt and integrate new things into daily life. In 10 years, for RAP and DAP, the process will be the same, it takes time for the use to be logical, framed and implemented in the environment.
In the regulations, the preventive measures decided and put in place by the employer are mandatory for employees. In the future, we will tend to the idea that if, after an analysis of the environment, the solution for a de-risked activity is an exoskeleton, this will probably become mandatory. Hence the still interest in relying on the integration process and selling a solution that is really adapted to a problem.
At the moment, the biggest challenge is to ensure that the standards are published so that there is regulation related to this technology.
