Investigating Manual Labor Workers’ Perceptions of Exoskeletons using the Wearable Robot Perception (WeaR-P) Questionnaire

Abstract

Industrial exoskeletons have the potential to reduce injury risk and enhance productivity among manual labor workers. Despite the expected benefits, there is limited understanding of workers’ attitudes and perceptions toward this novel technology. This study examined manual labor workers’ multi-dimensional perception of exoskeletons compared to general populations using the newly developed Wearable Robot Perception (WeaR-P) Questionnaire. Sixty-two workers with physically demanding jobs and 59 university students completed the questionnaire after reading information on industrial exoskeletons. Results indicated that the overall perception of exoskeletons among manual labor workers was more favorable than that of the healthy, young students who are unlikely to perform everyday tasks involving high physical demands. Prior experience with exoskeletons among workers did not impact their perception of the technology. The findings suggest that an individual’s perception of exoskeletons may vary depending on their daily tasks and goals; however, hands-on experience may not change their overall perceptions.