Job Integration/Reintegration of People with Neuromuscular Disorders in the Epoch of “Industry 4.0”

Degenerative and acquired neurological diseases can affect the motor function (reaching, grasping, balance, locomotion) during working age, limit the autonomy of workers and reduce productivity, thereby increasing costs. People with neurological disorders need to be integrated, or reintegrated, into workplaces through the design of rehabilitation, pharmacological and surgical treatments as well as innovative ergonomic interventions. The latter are represented, among the others, by miniaturized wearable monitoring/feedback devices and human-robot collaborative (HRC) technologies, such as WearBots (i.e. exoskeletons) and Cobots. The current- and next-generation of sensing technologies should be able to continuously decode and/or classify workers’ residual motor function and monitor pre-post job integration programs. The HRC technologies should dynamically adapt to the workplace to support physically weak and disabled workers in performing several lower and upper limbs and trunk motor activities such as walking.

In order to plan a reasonable, efficient and cost-effective job integration plan for people with neuromuscular impairment in the new “Industry 4.0” it is necessary to define the concept and roadmap to “return-to-work rehabilitation” as well as to detect and optimize human-machine interaction technologies useful for job Integration/Reintegration (i.e. miniaturization, communication protocols, human-robot interfaces) and design appropriate training strategies for employees and employers.

The Research Topic has the scope to define all the steps necessary to make a qualified and modern Job Integration/Reintegration of people with neuromuscular disorders. For this purpose it is necessary to investigate all the factors and new technological options that can be included:

- Define the meaning and roadmap to “Return-to-work rehabilitation” for people with neuromuscular disorders? What is the multidisciplinary team that can be involved in order to perform a “reasonable job integration?
- International reference regulatory framework for job accommodation;
- Monitoring the residual motor skills and the efficacy of “Return-to-work rehabilitation”:
- Movement Analysis Laboratories (Optoelectronic systems, IMUs and force plates), bipolar and High Density sEMG, alerting-feedback (Haptic-vibrotactyls, acoustic and visual stimuli);
- Indexes for the motor/muscle performance monitoring;
- Development of novel wearable sensing technologies and HRI paradigm to support re-integration of individuals who suffered from neuromuscular injuries, i.e. stroke, muscle-tendon tearing, musculoskeletal pain.