Assistive technologies and the human factor in warehousing: a picking experimental case with active and passive exoskeletons

In recent years assistive robotics has shown remarkable potential in the human-technology interface across different industries. Logistics activities, and specifically warehousing processes, are particularly challenging and still highly human-intensive although increasingly supported by automation and digital technologies. While the academic literature has started to focus on the Logistics 5.0 paradigm, still very little empirical data is offered about assistive technologies applied to the warehousing domain. This phenomenon is even more pronounced for equipment for picking, which is traditionally acknowledged as the most costly and complex warehousing activity. This paper aims at addressing this gap by investigating the role of exoskeletons in supporting picking processes and applying it to an experimental case by comparing three different picking scenarios: picking assisted by an advanced robotics technology, i.e., an active exoskeleton, assisted by a passive exoskeleton, and a case without such technology. Benefits and drawbacks are examined and discussed from a socio-technical perspective.