Key Findings from Research: Drivers and Barriers to Adopting Passive Exoskeletons in Construction

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ashtiani, Mohamad Behjati ; Morris, Wallace ; Ojelade, Aanuoluwapo ; Kim, Sunwook ; Akinwande, Feyisayo ; Barr, Alan ; Harris-Adamson, Carisa ; Akanmu, Abiola ; Nussbaum, Maury A.
• Corporate Authors:
  CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Description:
  Exoskeletons (EXOs), including those providing arm and back support, show potential in mitigating the high rates of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among construction workers. However, the specific benefits and limitations of their use in construction remain unclear, and so this study aimed to identify the drivers for and barriers to adopting exoskeletons in the industry. It used a two-phase approach: an interview study with 24 construction stakeholders and a field study with 22 construction workers. Interviewees had hands-on experience with a range of EXOs and provided feedback on initial impressions, perceived barriers, and potential benefits of EXO use; those responses were analyzed and systematically categorized as positive, neutral, and negative. Field study participants wore passive arm- and back-support EXOs while performing their jobs for up to 1 hour, then completed exit surveys that assessed usability, comfort, safety, and satisfaction. Read the abstract: https://bit.ly/4l3Sn8w. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Construction
  • Exoskeleton Device
  • Ergonomics
  • Musculoskeletal System
  • Musculoskeletal Diseases
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Construction workers
  • Exoskeletons
  • Ergonomics
  • Musculoskeletal disorders
  • MSD
  • Intervention effectiveness
  • Emerging technology
• Series:
  CPWR - Center for Construction Research and Training Publications
• Subseries:
  Key Findings from Research
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Maryland ; New York ; New York City Region OSHA ; Philadelphia Region OSHA ; San Francisco Region OSHA ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1 pdf page
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071849
• Citation:
  Key findings from research. Silver Spring, MD: CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2026 Mar; :1
• Email:
  nussbaum@vt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  2009/09/01
• End Date:
  2024/08/31
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/260071/cdc_260071_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 43.53 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:68258bbd7b047cfe7e54fde8412112ae3b66236eec6ac4756c429fb867c7d734eb40ae743f7190e290c1c00f94e04cc6ddb793965c04dfd53a6474718f9f4ec8