Presentation
The Impact of Passive Shoulder Exoskeleton Use on Neural, Muscular, and Perceptual responses Over Time
SessionPoster Session 2
Event Type
Poster
TimeWednesday, October 12th4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
LocationPoster Gallery
DescriptionGiven the rising cases of work-related musculoskeletal injuries resulting from improper postures and overexertion, assistive wearable solutions like occupational exoskeletons have been introduced that assist worker postures and redistributes loading on the operating muscles. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in shoulder and back muscle activation over time with the use of passive shoulder exoskeletons when performing an overhead task. Twenty-four sex balanced subjects, randomly assigned to a control and exoskeleton group, attended three consecutive sessions where they performed overhead tasks. EMG analysis of fourteen shoulder and back muscles revealed significant reduction in loading with exoskeleton group and differences in motor adaptation between sees. Functional connectivity analysis reveals weaker connectivity between prefrontal Cortex, premotor areas and primary motor cortex. Sex based differences have also been identified in connectivity within prefrontal region. The findings implicate sex difference in neuromuscular and motor strategies in adaptation due to exoskeleton use