Can an exoskeleton really help me? Five lessons you need to nowplastering activities

Let’s say you’re running a small company in the manufacturing or construction industries. Perhaps your employees are exposed to heavy work: day-after-day they handle materials, they carry tools, or they work with their back bent or their arms elevated. They get fatigued, which may limit their productivity, and some workers may even get injured,...

The effectivity of a passive arm support exoskeleton in reducing muscle activation and perceived exertion during plastering activities

The supportive effect of arm-support exoskeletons has been mainly studied for single postures or movements. The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of such an exoskeleton on shoulder muscle activity and perceived exertion, in six tasks of plasterers, each including multiple arm movements. The tasks of ‘applying gypsum’, ‘screeding’ and ...

Effects of a passive back exoskeleton on the mechanical loading of the low-back during symmetric lifting

Low-back pain is the number one cause of disability in the world, with mechanical loading as one of the major risk factors. Exoskeletons have been introduced in the workplace to reduce low back loading. During static forward bending, exoskeletons have been shown to reduce back muscle activity by 10% to 40%. However, effects during dynamic...

Biomechanical evaluation of a new passive back support exoskeleton

The number one cause of disability in the world is low-back pain, with mechanical loading as one of the major risk factors. To reduce mechanical loading, exoskeletons have been introduced in the workplace. Substantial reductions in back muscle activity were found when using the exoskeleton during static bending and manual materials handling....

Effects of a passive exoskeleton on the mechanical loading of the low back in static holding tasks

With mechanical loading as the main risk factor for LBP in mind, exoskeletons are designed to reduce the load on the back by taking over a part of the required moment. The present study assessed the effect of a passive exoskeleton on back and abdominal muscle activation, hip and lumbar flexion and on the contribution of both the human and the...

Evaluation of a passive exoskeleton for static upper limb activities

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a passive upper body exoskeleton on muscle activity, perceived musculoskeletal effort, local perceived pressure and subjective usability for a static overhead task. Eight participants (4 male, 4 female) held a load (0 kg and 2 kg) three times overhead for a duration of 30 s each, both with and...

Assessment of an active industrial exoskeleton to aid dynamic lifting and lowering manual handling tasks

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an industrial exoskeleton on muscle activity, perceived musculoskeletal effort, measured and perceived contact pressure at the trunk, thighs and shoulders, and subjective usability for simple sagittal plane lifting and lowering conditions. Twelve male participants lifted and lowered a box of 7...

Influence of Work Pace on Upper Extremity Kinematics and Muscle Activity in a Short-Cycle Repetitive Pick-and-Place Task

Objectives: This study investigated the extent to which controlled changes in work pace in a cyclic pick-and-place task influence upper extremity kinematics and muscle activity, and whether an effect depends on working height. Methods: Thirteen participants performed the task for 4 min at each of five work paces ranging from 8 to 12 cycles·min-1...

Influence of Posture Variation on Shoulder Muscle Activity, Heart Rate, and Perceived Exertion in a Repetitive Manual Task

Occupational applications. In repetitive work, more physical variation is believed to reduce the risk of eventually developing musculoskeletal disorders. We investigated the extent to which workstation designs leading to more variation in upper arm postures during a pick-and-place task influenced outcomes of relevance to musculoskeletal disorder...

The effects of a passive exoskeleton on muscle activity, discomfort and endurance time in forward bending work

Exoskeletons may form a new strategy to reduce the risk of developing low back pain in stressful jobs. In the present study we examined the potential of a so-called passive exoskeleton on muscle activity, discomfort and endurance time in prolonged forward-bended working postures.Eighteen subjects performed two tasks: a simulated assembly task...

The influence of active seating on car passengers' perceived comfort and activity levels

New technologies have led to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Sedentary behaviour is characterised by physical inactivity and is associated with several health risks. This excessive sitting does not only take place in the office or at home, but also during daily commute. Therefore, BMW AG developed an active seating system for the back seat...

Effect of canopy shape on physical load when holding an umbrella

The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of the canopy shape of an umbrella on physical load when holding the umbrella in different circumstances. For this purpose, thirteen subjects participated in this study and muscle activity of seven muscles of the upper limb (including the forearm) was measured for 5 wind speeds (4, 5, 6,...

Comparison of four specific dynamic office chairs with a conventional office chair: Impact upon muscle activation, physical activity and posture

Prolonged and static sitting postures provoke physical inactivity at VDU workplaces and are therefore discussed as risk factors for the musculoskeletal system. Manufacturers have designed specific dynamic office chairs featuring structural elements which promote dynamic sitting and therefore physical activity. The aim of the present study was to...

Submovement organization, pen pressure, and muscle activity are modulated to precision demands in 2D tracking

The authors investigated how tracking performance, submovement organization, pen pressure and muscle activity in forearm and shoulder muscles were affected by target size in a 2D tracking task performed with a pen on a digitizer tablet. Twenty-six subjects took part in an experiment, in which either a small dot or a large dot was tracked, while...

Association between objective and subjective measurements of comfort and discomfort in hand tools

In the current study, the relationship between objective measurements and subjective experienced comfort and discomfort in using handsaws was examined. Twelve carpenters evaluated five different handsaws. Objective measures of contact pressure (average pressure, pressure area and pressure-time (P-t) integral) in static and dynamic conditions,...

Trunk muscle activation and low back loading in lifting in the absence of load knowledge

People who know the actual mass of an object to be lifted normally prepare themselves before attempting a lift to control the movement and to minimize low back loading. In this study, the trunk muscular reactions and low back torque were investigated in the situation in which the individual did not know the actual mass but only had some idea of...