Effects of Passive Upper-Extremity Exoskeleton Use on Motor Performance

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kelson DM ; Kim S ; Nussbaum MA ; Srinivasan D
• Description:
  This study investigated the effect of passive exoskeleton use on shoulder torque control in an intermittent shoulder-loading task. Sixteen participants completed 15 30-sec cycles of intermittent, isometric shoulder contraction at 90 degree both in the sagittal and scapular planes, with a 50% duty cycle at 30% of maximum torque; this was completed with and without external support from two exoskeletons. Torque steadiness was quantified using the coefficient of variation (CV) across work cycles. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to assess the effects of device support and time on torque CV, with user strength added as a covariate. Exoskeleton use significantly decreased torque CV in both the sagittal and scapular planes. While previous studies have shown exoskeleton-use to reduce musculoskeletal loads, our results show that exoskeleton-use may also improve motor performance by having a steadying effect on shoulder torque generation. Exoskeletons are wearable assistive devices that augment and assist physical activity by providing structural supports and assistive torques to the body. The potential use of industrial exoskeletons to mitigate the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in manual handling jobs is an emerging research topic. While earlier work demonstrated the use of upper-extremity exoskeletons use can reduce shoulder demands, it remains unclear how such devices can affects the shoulder torque control performance. The aim of this study was thus to investigate the effects of passive exoskeleton use on shoulder joint torque control in an intermittent shoulder-loading task. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Biomechanical Modeling Biomechanics Exoskeletons Imaging Techniques Manual Materials Handling Musculoskeletal System Upper Extremities Wearable Technologies
• Publisher:
  American Society of Biomechanics
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066076
• Citation:
  ISB/ASB 2019: Proceedings of the XXVII Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB2019) and 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB2019), July 31-August 4, 2019, Calgary, Canada. Newark, DE: American Society of Biomechanics, 2019 Jul; :1211
• Contact Point Address:
  Divya Srinivasan, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
• Email:
  sdivya1@vt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State university, Blacksburg
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010701
• Source Full Name:
  ISB/ASB 2019: Proceedings of the XXVII Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB2019) and 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB2019), July 31-August 4, 2019, Calgary, Canada
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:79bb23cebe2b9a8d46a6673b75473f5e1096162aca02d18fb2b481b546c1c2ae7dfd3c3904674f5c232877cc734ea81bec87a259cbaf8f9dd75dbc5bf9367848
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/209145/cdc_209145_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.19 MB ]