Manipulating device-to-body forces in passive exosuit: An experimental investigation on the effect of moment arm orientation using passive back-assist exosuit emulator
Passive exosuits have been vastly researched in the past decade for lifting tasks to alleviate the mechanical loading on the spine and reduce the lower back muscle activities in lifting tasks. Despite promising advantages of exosuits, factors such as comfort directly influence the user’s acceptabili...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Wearable Technologies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2631717623000129/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797817370086998016 |
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| author | Siddharth Bhardwaj Akshayraj B. Shinde Randheer Singh Vineet Vashista |
| author_facet | Siddharth Bhardwaj Akshayraj B. Shinde Randheer Singh Vineet Vashista |
| author_sort | Siddharth Bhardwaj |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Passive exosuits have been vastly researched in the past decade for lifting tasks to alleviate the mechanical loading on the spine and reduce the lower back muscle activities in lifting tasks. Despite promising advantages of exosuits, factors such as comfort directly influence the user’s acceptability of such body-worn devices. Exosuits’ routing/anchoring points, which transmit device-to-body forces, remain the leading cause of discomfort among users. In the present study, we sought to investigate the effect of the routing element, that is, the “moment arm,” in altering the device-to-body forces and perceived discomfort. We first presented a simplified human–exosuit model to establish insight into the effect of the moment arm on the device-to-body forces acting at the shoulder (FS) and waist (FW). Further, an experimental investigation was conducted on 10 participants with six different exosuit moment arm configurations (C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, and C6) to investigate their effect on the device-to-body forces, perceived discomfort, and muscle activity using a passive back-assist exosuit emulator in a lifting/lowering task. Configuration C4 was found to be most beneficial in reducing device-to-body forces at the shoulder and waist by up to 44.6 and 22.2%, respectively, during lifting. Subjective scores also comprehended with the device-to-body forces, indicating that C4 produces significantly less discomfort for participants. The outcome of the study illustrates the importance of selecting an appropriate moment arm configuration for passive back support exosuits in alleviating the device-to-body forces and perceived discomfort. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T08:52:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a1e80246fa714e748ce81f685d17aba0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2631-7176 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T08:52:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wearable Technologies |
| spelling | doaj.art-a1e80246fa714e748ce81f685d17aba02023-05-29T10:18:13ZengCambridge University PressWearable Technologies2631-71762023-01-01410.1017/wtc.2023.12Manipulating device-to-body forces in passive exosuit: An experimental investigation on the effect of moment arm orientation using passive back-assist exosuit emulatorSiddharth Bhardwaj0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7550-8659Akshayraj B. Shinde1Randheer Singh2Vineet Vashista3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6776-7431Human-Centered Robotics Lab, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, IndiaHuman-Centered Robotics Lab, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, IndiaHuman-Centered Robotics Lab, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, IndiaHuman-Centered Robotics Lab, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, IndiaPassive exosuits have been vastly researched in the past decade for lifting tasks to alleviate the mechanical loading on the spine and reduce the lower back muscle activities in lifting tasks. Despite promising advantages of exosuits, factors such as comfort directly influence the user’s acceptability of such body-worn devices. Exosuits’ routing/anchoring points, which transmit device-to-body forces, remain the leading cause of discomfort among users. In the present study, we sought to investigate the effect of the routing element, that is, the “moment arm,” in altering the device-to-body forces and perceived discomfort. We first presented a simplified human–exosuit model to establish insight into the effect of the moment arm on the device-to-body forces acting at the shoulder (FS) and waist (FW). Further, an experimental investigation was conducted on 10 participants with six different exosuit moment arm configurations (C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, and C6) to investigate their effect on the device-to-body forces, perceived discomfort, and muscle activity using a passive back-assist exosuit emulator in a lifting/lowering task. Configuration C4 was found to be most beneficial in reducing device-to-body forces at the shoulder and waist by up to 44.6 and 22.2%, respectively, during lifting. Subjective scores also comprehended with the device-to-body forces, indicating that C4 produces significantly less discomfort for participants. The outcome of the study illustrates the importance of selecting an appropriate moment arm configuration for passive back support exosuits in alleviating the device-to-body forces and perceived discomfort.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2631717623000129/type/journal_articleDesignexosuitslift assist devicework related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs)comfortbiomechanical modeling |
| spellingShingle | Siddharth Bhardwaj Akshayraj B. Shinde Randheer Singh Vineet Vashista Manipulating device-to-body forces in passive exosuit: An experimental investigation on the effect of moment arm orientation using passive back-assist exosuit emulator Wearable Technologies Design exosuits lift assist device work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) comfort biomechanical modeling |
| title | Manipulating device-to-body forces in passive exosuit: An experimental investigation on the effect of moment arm orientation using passive back-assist exosuit emulator |
| title_full | Manipulating device-to-body forces in passive exosuit: An experimental investigation on the effect of moment arm orientation using passive back-assist exosuit emulator |
| title_fullStr | Manipulating device-to-body forces in passive exosuit: An experimental investigation on the effect of moment arm orientation using passive back-assist exosuit emulator |
| title_full_unstemmed | Manipulating device-to-body forces in passive exosuit: An experimental investigation on the effect of moment arm orientation using passive back-assist exosuit emulator |
| title_short | Manipulating device-to-body forces in passive exosuit: An experimental investigation on the effect of moment arm orientation using passive back-assist exosuit emulator |
| title_sort | manipulating device to body forces in passive exosuit an experimental investigation on the effect of moment arm orientation using passive back assist exosuit emulator |
| topic | Design exosuits lift assist device work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) comfort biomechanical modeling |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2631717623000129/type/journal_article |
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