An ergonomic assessment tool for evaluating the effect of back exoskeletons on injury risk

Zelik, Karl E.; Nurse, Cameron A.; Schall, Mark C.; Sesek, Richard; Marino, Matthew C.; Gallagher, Sean

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103619

Cited by 53 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…LBD risk assessment accuracy has not yet been studied for trunk IMU and pressure insole systems. Furthermore, it is currently unclear what level of biomechanical load accuracy is good enough for ergonomic assessment in practice, particularly given the nonlinear relationships between musculoskeletal load, damage, and injury risk [ 6 , 12 , 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Accurately Can Wearable Sensors Assess Low Back Disorder Risks during Material Handling? Exploring the Fundamental Capabilities and Limitations of Different Sensor Signals

Nurse

Elstub

Völgyesi

et al. 2023

Sensors

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Low back disorders (LBDs) are a leading occupational health issue. Wearable sensors, such as inertial measurement units (IMUs) and/or pressure insoles, could automate and enhance the ergonomic assessment of LBD risks during material handling. However, much remains unknown about which sensor signals to use and how accurately sensors can estimate injury risk. The objective of this study was to address two open questions: (1) How accurately can we estimate LBD risk when combining trunk motion and under-the-foot force data (simulating a trunk IMU and pressure insoles used together)? (2) How much greater is this risk assessment accuracy than using only trunk motion (simulating a trunk IMU alone)? We developed a data-driven simulation using randomized lifting tasks, machine learning algorithms, and a validated ergonomic assessment tool. We found that trunk motion-based estimates of LBD risk were not strongly correlated (r range: 0.20–0.56) with ground truth LBD risk, but adding under-the-foot force data yielded strongly correlated LBD risk estimates (r range: 0.93–0.98). These results raise questions about the adequacy of a single IMU for LBD risk assessment during material handling but suggest that combining an IMU on the trunk and pressure insoles with trained algorithms may be able to accurately assess risks.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Accurately Can Wearable Sensors Assess Low Back Disorder Risks during Material Handling? Exploring the Fundamental Capabilities and Limitations of Different Sensor Signals

Nurse

Elstub

Völgyesi

et al. 2023

Sensors

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“…In occupational settings, exos have been shown to decrease muscle activity and fatigue [ 6 , 41 ], thus increased exo adoption could reduce the risk of overuse injury, as well as increase productivity. Ergonomic assessment tools (e.g., [ 42 ]) suggest that, under various conditions, it is possible to simultaneously reduce injury risk and increase productivity (e.g., number of lifting repetitions) when wearing an exo. This highlights how exos fit within and contribute to emerging trends, such as sustainable work and industry 5.0, which place the long-term wellbeing of the worker at the center of the process, and leverage collaboration between humans and machines to benefit industry, workers, and society.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exoskeletons and Exosuits Could Benefit from Mode-Switching Body Interfaces That Loosen/Tighten to Improve Thermal Comfort

Elstub

Fine

Zelik

2021

IJERPH

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Exoskeletons and exosuits (exos) are wearable devices that physically assist movement. User comfort is critically important for societal adoption of exos. Thermal comfort (a person’s satisfaction with their thermal environment) represents a key design challenge. Exos must physically attach/interface to the body to apply forces, and these interfaces inevitably trap some heat. It is envisioned that thermal comfort could be improved by designing mode-switching exo interfaces that temporarily loosen around a body segment when assistive forces are not being applied. To inform exo design, a case series study (N = 4) based on single-subject design principles was performed. Our objective was to assess individual responses to skin temperature and thermal comfort during physical activity with a Loose leg-sleeve interface compared with a Form-Fitting one, and immediately after a Form-Fitting sleeve switched to Loose. Skin under the Loose sleeve was 2–3 °C (4–6 °F) cooler after 25 min of physical activity, and two of four participants reported the Loose sleeve improved their thermal comfort. After completion of the physical activity, the Form-Fitting sleeve was loosened, causing a 2–4 °C (3–8 °F) drop in skin temperature underneath for all participants, and two participants to report slightly improved thermal comfort. These findings confirmed that an exo that can quickly loosen its interface when assistance is not required—and re-tighten when it is— has the potential to enhance thermal comfort for some individuals and environments. More broadly, this study demonstrates that mode-switching mechanisms in exos can do more than adjust physical assistance: they can also exploit thermodynamics and facilitate thermoregulation in a way that enhances comfort for exo users.

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“…However, there is still little consensus among scientists about the most effective means of achieving this objective. As a result, various robot structures and control algorithms for robotic treatment have been developed on an as-needed basis, often utilizing ideas from the literature on rehabilitation, neurology, and motor learning [ 24 ]. The assistive control paradigm is the most advanced.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home-Based Robotic Upper Limbs Cardiac Telerehabilitation System

Mocan

Fulea

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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This article proposes a new, improved home-based cardiac telerehabilitation system enhanced by a robotic and Virtual Reality module for cardiac patients to be used in their rehabilitation program. In this study, a novel strategy was used to integrate existing equipment and applications with newly developed ones, with the aim of reducing the need for technical skills of patients using remote control. Patients with acute or chronic heart diseases require long-term, individualized rehabilitation in order to promote their motor recovery and maintain an active and independent lifestyle. This will be accomplished by creating a system for at-home cardiac telerehabilitation augmented by a VR and cobot systems, which can be used long-term at home by each individual patient. In the pre-feasibility study carried out on healthy volunteers familiar with software applications and robotic systems, we demonstrate that RoboTeleRehab could be technically feasible both hardware and software.

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An ergonomic assessment tool for evaluating the effect of back exoskeletons on injury risk

Cited by 53 publications

References 50 publications

How Accurately Can Wearable Sensors Assess Low Back Disorder Risks during Material Handling? Exploring the Fundamental Capabilities and Limitations of Different Sensor Signals

How Accurately Can Wearable Sensors Assess Low Back Disorder Risks during Material Handling? Exploring the Fundamental Capabilities and Limitations of Different Sensor Signals

Exoskeletons and Exosuits Could Benefit from Mode-Switching Body Interfaces That Loosen/Tighten to Improve Thermal Comfort

Home-Based Robotic Upper Limbs Cardiac Telerehabilitation System

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