How Do Exoskeletons Affect Back and Leg Muscular Demands During Repetitive Trunk Bending?

Back Support Industrial Exoskeletons (BSIEs) offer support to the wearer’s torso during trunk flexion tasks thereby alleviating low-back muscle strain and risk of injury. We conducted a controlled laboratory experiment to bridge the gap between laboratory and field assessments by simulating realistic working scenarios. Twelve participants performed 30 repetitions of trunk flexion tasks with/without BSIE and with/without ~45° left asymmetry at no fatigue and then at medium-high fatigue after performing intermittent posture maintenance tasks. Findings show reduction of 0% to 1.8% with BSIE in erector spinae and 10% to 18% in the biceps femoris muscle activity using Electromyography (EMG). Demands in low-back were higher during retraction portion ~7%, which increased even more to ~12% at medium-high fatigue when not using BSIE. General findings can contribute to the development of guidelines for design and implementation of BSIEs and may be beneficial in paving way for optimized designs that are tailored to complex industrial activities.