The construction industry, one of the largest employers of labor in the United States, has long suffered from health and safety issues relating to work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Back-related injuries are one of the most prevalent of all musculoskeletal disorders in the construction industry. Due to advancements in the field of wearable technologies, wearable robots such as passive back-support exoskeletons have emerged as a possible solution. Exoskeletons have the potential to augment human capacity, support non-neutral work positions, and reduce muscle fatigue and physical exertion. Current research efforts to evaluate the potential of exoskeletons in other industry sectors have been focused on outcome measures such as muscle activity, productivity, perceived discomfort and exertion, usability, and stakeholders' perspectives. However, there is scarce evidence regarding the efficacy of using exoskeletons for construction work. Furthermore, the risks and sociotechnical challenges of employing exoskeletons on construction sites are not well documented. Thus, through the lens of human-centric and socio-technical considerations, this study explores the prospects of adopting back-support exoskeletons in the construction industry. Firstly, a laboratory experiment was conducted to quantify the impact of using a passive exoskeleton for construction work in terms of muscle activity, perceived discomfort, and productivity. In order to investigate the acceptance of exoskeletons among construction workers and the challenges of adopting exoskeletons on construction sites, field explorations evaluating usability, perceived discomfort and exertion, social influence, and workers user perceptions were executed. Using sequential mixed methods approach, the stakeholders and factors (i.e., facilitators and barriers) critical for the adoption of exoskeletons on construction sites were investigated. Thereafter, by employing the factors and leveraging the constructs of the normalization process theory, an implementation plan to facilitate the adoption of passive exoskeletons was developed. The study contributes to the scarce body of knowledge regarding the extent to which exoskeletons can reduce ergonomic exposures associated with construction work. This study provides evidence of the perceptions of the contextual use of wearable robots, and workers' interaction with wearable robots on construction sites. The study contributes to the normalization process theory by showing its efficacy for the development and evaluation of implementation frameworks for construction industry. Furthermore, this study advances the socio-technical systems theory by incorporating all its subsystems (i.e., human, technology, organization and social) for investigating the potential of using a passive back support exoskeleton in the construction industry. / Doctor of Philosophy / Construction workers are often subjected to harsh working conditions and physically demanding work postures, which are ergonomics risks causing back-related musculoskeletal injuries. These injuries have the potential to cause permanent disabilities, lead to early retirement of experienced labor, and is one of the causes of the shortage of skilled workforce in construction. Wearable robots, such as passive back-support exoskeletons, are increasingly been looked upon as a potential solution to mitigate the problem. Exoskeletons are wearable technologies that can support and reinforce workers' body parts. Studies have shown that the use of exoskeletons could lead to reduced muscle fatigue thereby decreasing injuries in the long run. However, most of the research on the use of exoskeletons is focused on other industrial sectors. Scarce evidence regarding the use of exoskeletons in construction is documented in the literature. Furthermore, the use of exoskeletons on construction sites could have certain unintended consequences. Thus, the objective of this research was to understand the risks and challenges of using passive exoskeletons in the construction industry. A laboratory experiment was conducted to measure the impact of using exoskeletons on physical demand and productivity while performing construction tasks. An increase in productivity and a reduction in discomfort in the lower back were observed while using an exoskeleton. Thereafter, field studies were conducted where construction workers performed their usual tasks using an exoskeleton to understand their user experience and acceptance. To help construction companies in the adoption of exoskeletons, facilitators and barriers to the adoption of exoskeletons were identified. Thereafter a plan was developed to facilitate the implementation of passive exoskeletons in construction organizations. This plan can guide construction companies in the adoption of passive exoskeletons. The outcomes of this study will help other researchers to conduct similar studies with other wearable technologies.

Healthcare is a complex system under great pressure for meeting the patients’ needs. Implementing technology at inpatient wards might possibly support healthcare professionals and improve quality of care. However, these technologies might come with issues and the system might not be used as intended. This master thesis project investigates how healthcare professionals communicate at an inpatient ward and how this might be affected by implementing a Mobile Healthcare Solution (MHS). Further, it sought to question why healthcare professions might, or might not, use the MHS as a support of their daily work and what some reasons for this might be. Research methods were of qualitative approach. Field studies were performed at an inpatient ward and further, two healthcare professionals were interviewed. Grounded Theory (GT) was chosen as a method to process the data and obtain understanding for communication at the inpatient ward. The results showed that healthcare professionals communicate verbally, written and by reading, using different tools. The most prominent ways of communication were verbally, where it was common to report or discuss about a patient. The means for communication did not get drastically affected by implementing the MHS and reasons for this were of social, technical and organizational types. Some reasons for not using the MHS were habits and due to healthcare professionals perceiving the MHS as more time consuming than manual handling. However, a specific investigation of whether this might affect the usage of the MHS is yet needed