Best Version of Exosuit to Take Strain Off the Back
Published:26 Apr.2022 Source:University of Cincinnati
It's a common complaint, and one that health officials say causes more disability around the world than any other condition. A new device, however, the exosuit, shows promise in assisting with back and shoulder injury prevention. Still, not one of the devices manufactured to date is "just right" says Vesna Novak, PhD, an electrical engineering and computer science professor at the University of Cincinnati. Novak's research team studies exosuits, a wearable mobile machine that allows for limb movement with increased strength and endurance.
"Nothing has been perfected so we are trying to figure out what works and what doesn't so we can zero in," Novak says of the team's latest research published in the journal Applied Ergonomics. The demand for exosuits is highest among industries where employees do a lot of heavy, repetitive lifting such as in warehouse work, construction work and the airline industry. Exosuits are a less expensive, less cumbersome version of an exoskeleton, which is primarily used in the medical field.