Passive exoskeletons hold promise in reducing the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, however further research is essential before widespread adoption can occur. This study explores the feasibility of using subjective measures of physical demand in place of costly and less practical objective measures. Normalized electromyography (nEMG) data and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were collected from seven different studies conducted by the Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics Lab (OEB lab). Employing a repeated measures three-way ANOVA, we assessed the influence of nEMG, gender, and exoskeleton type on RPE. Additionally, mean nEMG and RPE from seven passive exoskeleton-based studies conducted outside the OEB lab were assessed in order to determine if the findings from the OEB lab existed across other research environments. The results demonstrated a general positive linear trend between nEMG and RPE for both the individual and mean results. Substantial inconsistencies emerged when considering the influence of gender, exoskeleton type, and task conditions on the relationship between nEMG and RPE. These discrepancies underscore the need for more in-depth research into this topic, specifically investigating the effects of gender and exoskeleton design. / Master of Science / Passive exoskeletons, devices designed to improve safety and provide support to the body, offer the potential for reducing muscle strain and reducing work-related injury risk. However, before these devices can be widely adopted, more research is necessary. Subjective measures of exertion, an affordable and user-friendly alternative to objective measures, require further investigation before replacing traditional methods in exoskeleton research. This study explores the possible connection between subjective and objective assessments of physical demand during passive exoskeleton usage. We analyzed data from seven studies conducted by the Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics Lab (OEB lab), focusing on muscle activity (an objective measure) and perceived exertion (a subjective measure). Our analysis examined the relationship between these objective and subjective measures, as well as how gender, exoskeleton type, and task conditions influenced this relationship. Additionally, we considered mean values from seven passive exoskeleton studies conducted outside the OEB lab, to investigate whether our findings existed in other research environments. The results revealed that as muscle activity increased, perceived exertion tended to increase as well. Moreover, our findings demonstrated that gender, exoskeleton type, and task conditions did influence the relationship, although there was significant variability in how these factors affected it. This research sheds light on the potential for using subjective measures in exoskeleton studies, bringing us closer to making exoskeletons more practical and accessible for real-world applications while acknowledging the complexities of this relationship.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/116540 |
| Date | 24 October 2023 |
| Creators | Kelley, Sydney Aelish |
| Contributors | Industrial and Systems Engineering, Nussbaum, Maury A., Kim, Sun Wook, Lim, Sol Ie |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
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