Effects of a passive upper-body exoskeleton on whole-body kinematics, leg muscle activity, and discomfort during a carrying task.

Autor: Gabriela Garcia, Paul Gonzalo Arauz, Isabel Alvarez, Nicolas Encalada, Shirley Vega, Marco Baldo, Bernard J Martin
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: PLoS ONE, Vol 19, Iss 7, p e0304606 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1932-6203
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304606
Popis: ObjectiveTo compare whole-body kinematics, leg muscle activity, and discomfort while performing a 10-min carrying task with and without a passive upper-body exoskeleton (CarrySuitⓇ), for both males and females.BackgroundDiverse commercial passive exoskeletons have appeared on the market claiming to assist lifting or carrying task. However, evidence of their impact on kinematics, muscle activity, and discomfort while performing these tasks are necessary to determine their benefits and/or limitations.MethodSixteen females and fourteen males carried a 15kg load with and without a passive exoskeleton during 10-min over a round trip route, in two non-consecutive days. Whole-body kinematics and leg muscle activity were evaluated for each condition. In addition, leg discomfort ratings were quantified before and immediately after the task.ResultsThe gastrocnemius and vastus lateralis muscle activity remained constant over the task with the exoskeleton. Without the exoskeleton a small decrease of gastrocnemius median activation was observed regardless of sex, and a small increase in static vastus lateralis activation was observed only for females. Several differences in sagittal, frontal, and transverse movements' ranges of motion were found between conditions and over the task. With the exoskeleton, ROM in the sagittal plane increased over time for the right ankle and pelvis for both sexes, and knees for males only. Thorax ROMs in the three planes were higher for females only when using the exoskeleton. Leg discomfort was lower with the exoskeleton than without.ConclusionThe results revealed a positive impact on range of motion, leg muscle activity, and discomfort of the tested exoskeleton.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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