NCT05097612

Evaluation of a Soft Exoskeleton to Support Forward Leaning and Lifting

"Evaluation of a Soft Exoskeleton With Parallel Springs and Its Ability to Reduce Physical Load During Lifting and Leaning"

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 30 (actual)
• Sponsor: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

In this study the LiftSuit version 2.0 designed by Auxivo AG will be used. The LiftSuit is a soft wearable device that is designed to support workers perform physically demanding tasks including repetitive lifting and working in forward leaning positions. It is put on like a backpack and attached to the body using fabric bands and cuffs. Besides soft fabric parts the LiftSuit contains elastics elements. The elastic elements can be flexibly exchanged by the experimenter. For this experiment elastic elements of known stiffness will be hooked into the fabric frame.

Detailed description

In a first step participants will try on the LiftSuit exoskeleton and adjust it to their body under supervision of the experimenter. When the LiftSuit exoskeleton is adjusted to the participant it is taken off to allow placement of sensors. The sensors used to record heart rate (Polar H9 heart rate monitor, Polar Electro Europe AG, Germany), muscle activity from 8 muscles in the back and hip region (Delsys Trigno, Delsys Europe, United Kingdom) and movement kinematics (OptiTrack motion capture system, NaturalPoint Inc., USA) will be placed by the experimenter (or participant him/herself). To verify that the electromyography sensors, are working and to obtain normalization values, participants will be instructed to conduct maximal voluntary contractions of each muscle that are being recorded. If needed single sensors can be replaced. After this the exoskeleton will be put back on.

Conditions

• Occupational Exposure

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Placebo LiftSuit Exoskeleton	The LiftSuit is a soft passive wearable device that is designed to support the hip and back muscles during forward leaning and lifting. It exerts it function through Elastic Energy Storages (EES). In this condition the EES are removed from the device to create a placebo device.
DEVICE	LiftSuit Exoskeleton (low support level)	The LiftSuit is a soft passive wearable device that is designed to support the hip and back muscles during forward leaning and lifting. It exerts it function through Elastic Energy Storages (EES). EES of different three different levels of stiffness (low, medium, high stiffness) will be used.
DEVICE	LiftSuit Exoskeleton (medium support level)	The LiftSuit is a soft passive wearable device that is designed to support the hip and back muscles during forward leaning and lifting. It exerts it function through Elastic Energy Storages (EES). EES of different three different levels of stiffness (low, medium, high stiffness) will be used.
DEVICE	LiftSuit Exoskeleton (high support level)	The LiftSuit is a soft passive wearable device that is designed to support the hip and back muscles during forward leaning and lifting. It exerts it function through Elastic Energy Storages (EES). EES of different three different levels of stiffness (low, medium, high stiffness) will be used.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-11-08
• Primary completion: 2022-01-31
• Completion: 2022-01-31
• First posted: 2021-10-28
• Last updated: 2023-11-29

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Switzerland