Smart agriculture project yields successful R&D: farmers' shoulders and necks no longer ache

(Taiwan TB News Network / Reporter Chen Mingzong) To reduce the physical burden and fatigue farmers experience during agricultural work, improve work efficiency, and enhance post-work quality of life, the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, subsidized Associate Professor Lin Wei-Chih of National Sun Yat-sen University to develop "agricultural wearable labor-saving equipment." The R&D results are remarkable. On the 21st, a technology transfer signing press conference was held, hoping that through the development and improvement of labor-saving agricultural machinery, farmers can alleviate the discomfort caused by prolonged arm raising during agricultural work and the suffering of shoulder, neck and back pain, reducing the risk of occupational injuries.

The Council of Agriculture stated that, according to statistics, 93% of farmers' occupational injuries are musculoskeletal injuries caused by overuse of physical strength, and 1/3 of the injured areas occur in the wrists, followed by the shoulders. The main cause of shoulder injuries is primarily prolonged and repetitive arm-raising movements. In response to the aging of the agricultural workforce and increased awareness of agricultural labor safety, the "agricultural wearable labor-saving equipment" developed by Associate Professor Lin Wei-Chih can provide auxiliary support for the upper limbs and arms during farmers' work, reducing the physical load on agricultural workers during harvesting and carrying. Measurement data from instruments also show a clear labor-saving effect.

Taking female farmers performing bud removal work on small-fruit tomatoes as an example, measurement results from electromyographic signal instruments show that before and after using the labor-saving equipment, muscle strength consumption can be reduced by 66%; while male farmers performing pesticide spraying work on pomelo can save 48% of muscle strength loss.

The Council of Agriculture pointed out that "when working, the arms are kept raised all the time, and the arms get so sore" - the heartfelt voices of farmers, we have heard them. Agricultural labor-saving equipment has already become a future international trend in agricultural applications. After Hsin Farmers Enterprise Co. signs the technology transfer agreement with National Sun Yat-sen University, it will also accelerate commercialization work, and it is expected to be mass-produced and launched on the market in the first quarter of the 110th year of the Republic of China. The Council of Agriculture will also assist the operator in applying for inclusion in agricultural machinery subsidies, hoping to work hand in hand with the operator through the results of agricultural technology R&D to create a higher-quality and more friendly agricultural environment.

The Council of Agriculture emphasized that this set of wearable labor-saving equipment does not use a traditional motor-powered mode, so it does not require charging or maintenance, and users do not need to carry batteries and motors or bear extra weight and physical exertion. The equipment body is also specially made of high-strength and lightweight carbon fiber material, keeping the total weight below 2 kg, reducing the sense of carrying a heavy object after farmers put it on. In addition, it uses highly breathable strap fabric to improve breathability and comfort after wearing.

In the 109th year of the Republic of China, the Council of Agriculture produced 80 sets and placed them at agricultural improvement stations across Taiwan, China. In addition to providing them for farmers to try out, it also successively conducted work tests on grapes, jujubes, pomelo, small-fruit tomatoes, bitter gourd, pineapple sugar apple, bananas, papaya and other fruit trees with the Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Taitung District Agricultural Improvement Stations, local governments, and the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, as well as nearly 50 application briefings, and identified trellis crops as the most suitable application.
The R&D results of the agricultural wearable labor-saving equipment are remarkable, and the product has officially made its public debut.