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Effects of a Passive Back-Support Exosuit on Postural Control and Cognitive Performance During a Fatigue-Inducing Posture Maintenance Task.

Authors :
Kim J
Kang SH
Li J
Mirka GA
Dorneich MC
Source :
Human factors [Hum Factors] 2024 Nov; Vol. 66 (11), pp. 2451-2467. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jan 03.
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of passive back-support exosuit on postural control and cognitive performance during a fatigue-inducing posture maintenance task.<br />Background: Wearable support systems (exoskeletons/exosuits) reduce physical demands but may also influence postural control and cognitive performance by reducing muscular fatigue.<br />Method: Eighteen participants visited on two different days to test an exosuit system and performed dual-task cognitive assessments based on human information processing (information acquisition, information integration, and action implementation) while maintaining a 35° trunk flexion posture for 16 minutes. Center-of-pressure (CoP), cognitive performance, and perceived workload were recorded, while erector spinae muscle activity was captured to quantify muscle fatigue.<br />Results: The exosuit was effective in reducing erector spinae muscle fatigue during the static posture maintenance task (61% less in Δmedian frequency: -9.5 Hz (EXO-Off) versus -3.7 Hz (EXO-On)). The fatigue-inducing task increased CoP velocity as a function of time (29% greater: 9.3 mm/sec (pre) versus 12.0 mm/sec (post)), and exosuit use decreased CoP velocity (23% less: 12.1 mm/sec (EXO-Off) versus 9.4 mm/sec (EXO-On)). The exosuit was also effective at mitigating cognitive degradation, as evidenced by a higher hit-to-signal ratio (8% greater: 81.3 (EXO-Off) versus 87.9 (EXO-On)) in the information integration task and reducing perceived workload in all stages of human information processing.<br />Conclusion: Exosuit provided benefits of postural control and information integration processing during a 16-min static posture maintenance task.<br />Application: Torso exoskeletons/suits can have positive implications for occupations with concurrent physical and cognitive demands.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1547-8181
Volume :
66
Issue :
11
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Human factors
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
38166542
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208231221890