Design, Modeling, and Demonstration of a New Dual-Mode Back-Assist Exosuit with Extension Mechanism.
| Autor: | Lamers EP; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States., Zelik KE; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States.; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States.; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States. |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Zdroj: | Wearable technologies [Wearable Technol] 2021; Vol. 2. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Mar 24. |
| DOI: | 10.1017/wtc.2021.1 |
| Abstrakt: | Occupational exoskeletons and exosuits have been shown to reduce muscle demands and fatigue for physical tasks relevant to a variety of industries (e.g. logistics, construction, manufacturing, military, healthcare). However, adoption of these devices into the workforce has been slowed by practical factors related to comfort, form-factor, weight, and not interfering with movement or posture. We previously introduced an un-motorized, low-profile, dual-mode exosuit comprised of textile and elastic materials to address these adoption barriers. Here we build upon this prior work by introducing an extension mechanism that increases the moment arm of the exosuit while in engaged mode, then collapses in disengaged mode to retain key benefits related to being lightweight, low-profile, and unobstructive. Here we demonstrate both analytically and empirically how this extensible exosuit concept can (i) reduce device-to-body forces (which can improve comfort for some users and situations), or (ii) increase the magnitude of torque assistance about the low back (which may be valuable for heavy-lifting jobs) without increasing shoulder or leg forces relative to the prior form-fitting exosuit. We also introduce a novel mode-switching mechanism, as well as a human-exosuit biomechanical model to elucidate how individual design parameters affect exosuit assistance torque and device-to-body forces. The proof-of-concept prototype, case study, and modeling work provide a foundation for understanding and implementing extensible exosuits for a broad range of applications. We envision promising opportunities to apply this new dual-mode extensible exosuit concept to assist heavy-lifting, to further enhance user comfort, and to address the unique needs of last-mile delivery workers. Competing Interests: Competing interests. Authors E.P.L. and K.E.Z. are co-inventors on intellectual property related to the extensible exosuit discussed in this work. Author K.E.Z. is a co-founder of and has a financial interest in HeroWear, LLC, which has commercialized a different back-assist exosuit. HeroWear had no role in the research or development work reported in this manuscript, and no HeroWear products were used. |
| Databáze: | MEDLINE |
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