A case study on occupational back-support exoskeletons versatility in lifting and carrying

To prevent workers performing manual material handling from developing musculoskeletal disorders, occupational back-support exoskeletons are becoming more and more common in industrial scenarios. However, while their beneficial effects on weight lifting tasks are known, additional work is still needed to make them effective in assisting - or at least not hindering - other types of tasks, such as carrying. Therefore, the work presented here studies the effects that varying the assistive strategy according to the performed task, namely exoskeleton versatility, has on the efficacy and the dynamic fit of these devices. After presenting relevant metrics for this analysis, an exemplification of a single-subject case study is detailed. In this study XoTrunk, a back-support exoskeleton, is used to provide assistance during the execution of a complex task involving both lifting and carrying. Results show that exploiting versatility, the control strategy appears to be more natural and respectful of the subject's movements.