Roessingh Research and Development, Enschede, the Netherlands; Department of Biomedical Signals and Systems, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands.
Roessingh Research and Development, Enschede, the Netherlands.
Appl Ergon. 2024 Feb;115:104055. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2023.104055. Epub 2023 Nov 18.
This article investigates discomfort development for forces exerted repetitively and for extended durations through a rigid cuff. Three force patterns, chosen to mimic exoskeleton use, were applied to the thigh of 15 healthy participants for 30 min. Changes in perceived comfort and skin effects were recorded. Discomfort was detected at normal forces ranging from 40 to >230 N. Repetitive force application triggered discomfort after a median of 4.1 min (normal force only) and 5.4 min (normal and shear force) respectively. Discomfort increased over time but the repetitive force applications did generally not result in pain and there were no significant differences between repetitive loading patterns. Exoskeleton design and use should be informed by comfort thresholds specific to prolonged repetitive loading. Large interindividual differences in perception of discomfort limit the possibilities for generally applicable comfort thresholds. Further research is needed to investigate how patient groups perceive such repetitive loading.
本文研究了通过刚性袖带反复施加和长时间施加的力引起的不适。选择了三种力模式来模拟外骨骼的使用，将其施加到 15 名健康参与者的大腿上 30 分钟。记录了感知舒适度和皮肤效应的变化。在正常力为 40 到> 230 N 的范围内检测到不适。重复施加力后，中位数分别为 4.1 分钟（仅正常力）和 5.4 分钟（正常和剪切力）时会引发不适。不适随时间的推移而增加，但重复施加力通常不会导致疼痛，并且在重复加载模式之间没有显著差异。外骨骼的设计和使用应根据长时间重复加载的特定舒适度阈值来确定。不适感的个体差异很大，限制了一般适用的舒适度阈值的可能性。需要进一步研究来调查患者群体如何感知这种重复性负荷。
