Development of a Lumbar Exosuit with Hybrid Active-Passive Support for Healthcare Workers

The prevalence of lower back pain and related injuries is high among healthcare profes- sionals. Nursing involves lifting, shifting, and repositioning patients, and many of these tasks do not allow proper lifting or bending biomechanics, increasing the risk of injury. Although exoskeletons have been developed to alleviate spinal mechanical loading, many solutions are heavy, bulky, uncomfortable, and require large motors and complex control systems. Addi- tionally, these devices mainly target industrial sectors such as manufacturing and construction, failing to address the needs of healthcare workers. To overcome these limitations, a soft lumbar support Exosuit was developed combining passive components with an actuation unit, resulting in a lightweight (2.1 kg), soft, and supportive device. The Exosuit comprises a motor-driven lever mounted to the upper back and connected to two elastic actuators extending to the upper thighs. Using real-time trunk flexion angle data from an IMU sensor, the motor modulates the lever position to adjust the tension of the elastic actuators to store or release energy dur- ing phases of a lifting motion. Preliminary experimental results showed an average reduction of erector spinae muscle activity by approximately 38% across four participants during lift- ing tasks, suggesting a significant decrease in lumbar muscle demand when using the Exosuit. These findings indicate that this device is a promising solution to reduce the risk of low back injuries among healthcare workers.

Author dc:creator

• Francesca Molinari (370141)

• Engineering
• Biomedical

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright
• Open Access after 2028-01-01

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.25417/uic.31451869.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/31451869