Presentation
Subjective Assessments of Arm-Support Exoskeletons During Simulated Static and Dynamic Overhead Tasks
SessionOE2 - Exoskeletons
Event Type
Lecture
Occupational Ergonomics
TimeTuesday, October 11th3:30pm - 3:45pm EDT
LocationL402/L403
DescriptionThree passive Arm-support Exoskeletons (ASEs) were examined in terms of perceived exertion, workload, and usability/preference, during simulated static and dynamic overhead tasks. Eighteen participants (gender-balanced) completed these tasks in six different conditions, involving all combinations of three different work heights and two exertion directions, and using each ASE (including no ASE as a baseline). For a given overhead task (i.e., static or dynamic), male and female participants reported distinct preferences among the three ASEs. They ranked a given ASE higher as their preferred when usability scores were higher. Yet, participant responses generally suggested that the ASEs examined might only be marginally acceptable to users based on the System Usability Scale. Further research will be needed to support both efficient selection of a specific ASE based on job and individual user characteristics, as well as improving overall ASE usability.