Effects of using a whole-body powered exoskeleton during simulated occupational load-handling tasks: A pilot study

Changes in kinematics and muscle activity when learning to use a whole-body powered exoskeleton for stationary load handling

“…Our hypotheses -that novices will initially employ significantly different upper limb and back kinematics, but that such differences will decrease with EXO use -were not supported. This outcome, though, is consistent with our earlier investigation of motor adaptation in a powered exoskeleton in the context of walking (Park et al, 2022). However, unlike that prior study, where we observed significant initial differences between novices and experts in all kinematic variables, we did not observe significant initial differences here in shoulder and torso flexion angles.…”

“…However, little is known about how users react to such EXO systems over time and develop expertise (e.g., motor adaptation). This knowledge gap is important, since task-specific expertise can have substantial effects in the context of industrial manual material handling strategies and their resulting biomechanical effects (e.g., Authier et al, 1996;Gagnon, 2003;Goubault et al, 2020;Lee et al, 2014;Plamondon et al, 2014). To our knowledge, though, no previous studies have examined motor adaptations to EXO use during manual material handling.…”

Exoskeletons: Contribution to Occupational Health and Safety

“…Although there are developments implemented in industries to assist the posture of workers, it is considered that the deployment, widespread adoption, and potential of these alternatives are still limited and depend on multiple factors such as effectiveness, the type of task to be performed, and the body postures that require support [69].…”

“…The evaluation of passive exoskeletons during the repetitive lifting of loads in squat positions, crouching, and in orientations such as frontal/symmetrical and lateral/asymmetric orientations has allowed us to measure the extensor muscle activity of the trunk and hip. Exoskeletons were determined to have limited influence on muscle responses; the device supports the hip extension and requires tight body posture during lifting [69]. In addition to this, exoskeletons (SPEXOR) designed for the prevention of low back pain and vocational reintegration have been developed that focus on improving the transfer of load from the extremities to the arms and legs, avoiding low back pain in the user and providing vocational rehabilitation according to their daily tasks [70].…”

A pilot study investigating motor adaptations when learning to walk with a whole-body powered exoskeleton

“…Some research prototypes have also been reported to reduce physical workload in the arms (Otten et al, 2018) and back (Poliero et al, 2020). We recently reported that using a whole-body powered exoskeleton reduced trunk and leg muscle activities during both stationary and ambulatory load handling tasks (Park et al, 2022).…”