Enabling privacy-aware AI-based ergonomic analysis
- Author
- Sander De Coninck (UGent) , Emilio Gamba, Bart Van Doninck, Abdellatif Bey-Temsamani, Sam Leroux (UGent) and Pieter Simoens (UGent)
- Organization
- Project
- Abstract
- Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a leading cause of injury and productivity loss in the manufacturing industry, incurring substantial economic costs. Ergonomic assessments can mitigate these risks by identifying workplace adjustments that improve posture and reduce strain. Camera-based systems offer a non-intrusive, cost-effective method for continuous ergonomic tracking, but they also raise significant privacy concerns. To address this, we propose a privacy-aware ergonomic assessment framework utilizing machine learning techniques. Our approach employs adversarial training to develop a lightweight neural network that obfuscates video data, preserving only the essential information needed for human pose estimation. This obfuscation ensures compatibility with standard pose estimation algorithms, maintaining high accuracy while protecting privacy. The obfuscated video data is transmitted to a central server, where state-of-the-art keypoint detection algorithms extract body landmarks. Using multi-view integration, 3D keypoints are reconstructed and evaluated with the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method. Our system provides a secure, effective solution for ergonomic monitoring in industrial environments, addressing both privacy and workplace safety concerns.
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01K44YR2A1J7ENRB2CFRJVQ1R8
- MLA
- De Coninck, Sander, et al. “Enabling Privacy-Aware AI-Based Ergonomic Analysis.” PROCEDIA CIRP, vol. 136, 2025, pp. 371–76, doi:10.1016/j.procir.2025.08.065.
- APA
- De Coninck, S., Gamba, E., Van Doninck, B., Bey-Temsamani, A., Leroux, S., & Simoens, P. (2025). Enabling privacy-aware AI-based ergonomic analysis. PROCEDIA CIRP, 136, 371–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2025.08.065
- Chicago author-date
- De Coninck, Sander, Emilio Gamba, Bart Van Doninck, Abdellatif Bey-Temsamani, Sam Leroux, and Pieter Simoens. 2025. “Enabling Privacy-Aware AI-Based Ergonomic Analysis.” In PROCEDIA CIRP, 136:371–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2025.08.065.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- De Coninck, Sander, Emilio Gamba, Bart Van Doninck, Abdellatif Bey-Temsamani, Sam Leroux, and Pieter Simoens. 2025. “Enabling Privacy-Aware AI-Based Ergonomic Analysis.” In PROCEDIA CIRP, 136:371–376. doi:10.1016/j.procir.2025.08.065.
- Vancouver
- 1.De Coninck S, Gamba E, Van Doninck B, Bey-Temsamani A, Leroux S, Simoens P. Enabling privacy-aware AI-based ergonomic analysis. In: PROCEDIA CIRP. 2025. p. 371–6.
- IEEE
- [1]S. De Coninck, E. Gamba, B. Van Doninck, A. Bey-Temsamani, S. Leroux, and P. Simoens, “Enabling privacy-aware AI-based ergonomic analysis,” in PROCEDIA CIRP, Patras, Greece, 2025, vol. 136, pp. 371–376.
@inproceedings{01K44YR2A1J7ENRB2CFRJVQ1R8,
abstract = {{Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a leading cause of injury and productivity loss in the manufacturing industry, incurring substantial economic costs. Ergonomic assessments can mitigate these risks by identifying workplace adjustments that improve posture and reduce strain. Camera-based systems offer a non-intrusive, cost-effective method for continuous ergonomic tracking, but they also raise significant privacy concerns. To address this, we propose a privacy-aware ergonomic assessment framework utilizing machine learning techniques. Our approach employs adversarial training to develop a lightweight neural network that obfuscates video data, preserving only the essential information needed for human pose estimation. This obfuscation ensures compatibility with standard pose estimation algorithms, maintaining high accuracy while protecting privacy. The obfuscated video data is transmitted to a central server, where state-of-the-art keypoint detection algorithms extract body landmarks. Using multi-view integration, 3D keypoints are reconstructed and evaluated with the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method. Our system provides a secure, effective solution for ergonomic monitoring in industrial environments, addressing both privacy and workplace safety concerns.}},
author = {{De Coninck, Sander and Gamba, Emilio and Van Doninck, Bart and Bey-Temsamani, Abdellatif and Leroux, Sam and Simoens, Pieter}},
booktitle = {{PROCEDIA CIRP}},
issn = {{2212-8271}},
language = {{eng}},
location = {{Patras, Greece}},
pages = {{371--376}},
title = {{Enabling privacy-aware AI-based ergonomic analysis}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2025.08.065}},
volume = {{136}},
year = {{2025}},
}
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