Subjective and fitting evaluation of a revised physical attachment interface for a passive exoskeleton chair.

ABSTRACT

Passive exoskeleton chairs can alleviate fatigue, enhance efficiency, and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal diseases for workers standing for prolonged hours and have gradually been applied in recent years. In this study, by strategically distributing elastic and non-elastic fabrics, physical interfaces of the attachment system for the exoskeleton chair were revised to better adapt to bodily deformations and movements. We conducted an experiment using motion capture systems and subjective questionnaires to evaluate the performance of the initial and revised attachment systems of an exoskeleton chair worn by participants while performing multiple simulated assembly tasks. The results indicated that when wearing the revised one, some adverse effects on gait were significant reduced, as was the relative displacement of straps and discomfort in lumbar and abdominal, and system usability was improved, all of which were considered to be helpful in design to improve the performance of the attachment system in the future.

This study aims to address the limited adaptability of the physical interface of attachment system (AS) to movements and bodily deformations. We proposed a revised AS by strategically incorporating elastic and non-elastic fabrics. Our results indicate that the revised AS alleviates negative effects on gait and discomfort, and improves overall usability.