Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2021 Apr;57:102516. doi: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2021.102516. Epub 2021 Jan 19.
While occupational back-support exoskeletons (BSEs) are considered as potential workplace interventions, BSE use may compromise postural control. Thus, we investigated the effects of passive BSEs on postural balance during quiet upright stance and functional limits of stability. Twenty healthy adults completed trials of quiet upright stance with differing levels of difficulty (bipedal and unipedal stance; each with eyes open and closed), and executed maximal voluntary leans. Trials were done while wearing two different BSEs (SuitX™, Laevo™) and in a control (no-BSE) condition. BSE use significantly increased center-of-pressure (COP) median frequency and mean velocity during bipedal stance. In unipedal stance, using the Laevo™ was associated with a significant improvement in postural balance, especially among males, as indicated by smaller COP displacement and sway area, and a longer time to contact the stability boundary. BSE use may affect postural balance, through translation of the human + BSE center-of-mass, restricted motion, and added supportive torques. Furthermore, larger effects of BSEs on postural balance were evident among males. Future work should further investigate the gender-specificity of BSE effects on postural balance and consider the effects of BSEs on dynamic stability.
虽然职业背部支撑外骨骼（BSE）被认为是潜在的工作场所干预措施，但 BSE 的使用可能会影响姿势控制。因此，我们研究了被动 BSE 对安静直立姿势下姿势平衡和功能稳定性极限的影响。20 名健康成年人完成了不同难度的安静直立姿势试验（双足和单足姿势；睁眼和闭眼），并进行了最大自愿倾斜。试验分别在佩戴两种不同的 BSE（SuitX™、Laevo™）和对照（无 BSE）条件下进行。BSE 的使用显著增加了双足站立时的中心压力（COP）中值频率和平均速度。在单足站立时，使用 Laevo™与姿势平衡的显著改善相关，尤其是在男性中，表现为 COP 位移和摆动面积更小，接触稳定性边界的时间更长。BSE 的使用可能会通过平移人体+BSE 质心、限制运动和增加支撑扭矩来影响姿势平衡。此外，BSE 对姿势平衡的影响在男性中更为明显。未来的工作应该进一步研究 BSE 对姿势平衡的性别特异性影响，并考虑 BSE 对动态稳定性的影响。
