Goršič Maja, Novak Vesna D
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Cincinnati, USA.
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Cincinnati, USA.
J Biomech. 2023 Jul;156:111692. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2023.111692. Epub 2023 Jun 19.
Low-cost exoskeletons can effectively support workers in physically demanding jobs, but most such exoskeletons have been developed to support repetitive lifting or uncomfortable static postures. Very few low-cost exoskeletons have been designed to support walking while carrying heavy objects, which would be beneficial for jobs such as moving furniture and warehouse work. This paper thus presents a single-session lab evaluation of the Auxivo CarrySuit, a low-cost upper-body exoskeleton designed for carrying objects that would normally be held with the arms. Twenty participants carried four loads (box or two bags, 20 or 40 lb total weight) for 2 min each on a treadmill with and without the CarrySuit. Across all loads, the CarrySuit significantly reduced the mean electromyogram of the middle trapezius (partial eta-squared = 0.74 - from 16.1% to 8.8% of maximum voluntary contraction value) and anterior deltoid (partial eta-squared = 0.26 - from 3.0% to 1.1% of maximum voluntary contraction value) with no corresponding increase in lower back muscle activation. Furthermore, maximum heart rate and Ratings of Perceived Exertion were also reduced by the CarrySuit, and discomfort was shifted from the upper body to the legs. While arm EMG was not measured, it is likely that it was also reduced due to the unloading of the arms. The CarrySuit can thus be considered beneficial in the short term, though longer-term evaluations with actual workers are needed to determine practical benefits.
低成本外骨骼可以有效地支持从事体力要求高的工作的工人，但大多数此类外骨骼是为支持重复性提举或不舒服的静态姿势而开发的。很少有低成本外骨骼被设计用于在搬运重物时提供行走支持，而这对诸如搬运家具和仓库工作等岗位会很有帮助。因此，本文对Auxivo CarrySuit进行了单阶段实验室评估，Auxivo CarrySuit是一种低成本的上身外骨骼，专为搬运通常要用手臂握持的物品而设计。20名参与者在跑步机上分别穿着和不穿CarrySuit，每次搬运四种负载（箱子或两个袋子，总重量分别为20磅或40磅），每种负载搬运2分钟。在所有负载情况下，CarrySuit显著降低了斜方肌中部的平均肌电图（偏 eta 平方 = 0.74，从最大自主收缩值的16.1%降至8.8%）和三角肌前部的平均肌电图（偏 eta 平方 = 0.26，从最大自主收缩值的3.0%降至1.1%），而下背部肌肉激活没有相应增加。此外，CarrySuit还降低了最大心率和主观用力程度评分，不适部位从上身转移到了腿部。虽然未测量手臂肌电图，但由于手臂卸载，其很可能也有所降低。因此，尽管需要对实际工人进行长期评估以确定实际益处，但短期内可以认为CarrySuit是有益的。
