Towards Reducing Risk of Injury in Nursing: Design and Analysis of a New Passive Exoskeleton for Torso Twist Assist

Abstract

Nursing is among the most physically challenging occupations and involves intensive lifting activities often including twisting of torso while performing tasks such as patient handling. Frequent and repetitive twisting of the body is known to induce large demands on the musculature, which may lead to MSD with direct and indirect costs to the hospital governance. One solution proposed through this article includes an exoskeleton specifically designed to assist in twisting movements of the trunk. This involves a double-actuator fully passive system that assists in rotation of the torso with the help of mechanical springs and cable modules. Our study provides a conceptual design of the mechanism, and a preliminary analysis using the concepts of kinematics, dynamics, usability, wearability, and freedom of movement. Results show that the mechanism could offer freedom of rotation for the wearer’s torso up to 52, 25 and 22 degrees (with stationary hip joint) along the transverse, sagittal and coronal planes, respectively. Moreover, similar force generation (up to 80N) was obtained in both actuators for same rotation on transverse plane in both directions for a combination of spring stiffness (0.5 – 1 N/mm) and damping (0.1 - 0.5 N-sec/mm) parameters. Our proposed design could also be integrated to the current exoskeletons in the form of a module and could be beneficial in more general work settings.

Machine Learning-Based Fatigue Level Prediction for Exoskeleton-Assisted Trunk Flexion Tasks Using Wearable Sensors

“…To develop the model, we generated a dataset through experimental studies involving both symmetric and asymmetric trunk flexion activities, as asymmetry has been known to elevate physical demands [62,63]. One limitation of our study is that we solely considered asymmetric bending towards the left side, potentially resulting in slightly different or interchangeable model predictions (left vs. right) depending on the evaluated task.…”

Detecting Fatigue during Exoskeleton-Assisted Trunk Flexion Tasks: A Machine Learning Approach

“…While Back-Support Industrial Exoskeletons (BSIEs) may offer benefits in reducing the rate of muscle fatigue, they might also increase users' susceptibility to falls [25], particularly with additional weight (2.2-4.5 kg), and the assistive torque provided could impact the wearer's stability [23]. These concerns are exacerbated during dynamic tasks with increased inertial forces and in awkward or asymmetric postures [18,[26][27][28]. To ensure the safety and efficiency of EXOs, it is crucial to integrate advanced technologies through which EXOs can provide optimum assistance to wearers, improving their wearer's experience and reducing the risk of injuries.…”

Influence of a passive back support exoskeleton on simulated patient bed bathing: results of an exploratory study

“…On the other hand, few studies have evaluated occupational exoskeletons for the healthcare sector, and most of them focus on the development or evaluation of active systems to assist patient transfer (Ishii, Yamamoto, & Takigawa, 2015;Kuber & Rashedi, 2021;Miura et al, 2021;Tröster et al, 2020). Regarding passive systems, Cha, Monfared, Stefanidis, Nussbaum, and Yu (2020) investigated the needs and barriers for the implementation of an upper-limb exoskeleton to assist surgeons in the operating room.…”