Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #exoskeleton

Most recents (5)

Science is the foundation, but user feedback is the north star:

• to know what to prioritize
• to learn where to improve
• to remember why you sweat all the science details

This is a vital lesson for those doing applied research whose feedback is mostly from other scientists
The combination of #biomechanics science and user-centric design is beginning to have the real-world impact the occupational #exoskeleton field long hypothesized it would.

End-users explain this best:
“When you show you care about people, that retains people,” one warehouse worker who piloted a back exosuit said. “Everybody in here, we’re all sore. We’re all hurting. But for the first time in a long time I won’t be hurting walking out of this building [because of the exosuit]”
Read 4 tweets
Excited to share our new #biomechanics publication on the effect of low-profile elastic #exosuits on back muscle fatigue. #exoskeleton #exosuit

nature.com/articles/s4159…

Challenging experiment, but we learned a lot in the process. Here are the top 4 lessons I took away....

1/ Back-assist exosuit offloads lower back by redirecting some
First, huge kudos to lead author @lamers_erik who completed his PhD last month!

During his time @CREATEatVandy he completed a series of studies on quasi-passive wearable assistive devices spanning from foot prostheses to back-assist exosuits

Super proud of the work he did!

2/
Next some background: When I talk to scientists they often want to know how much exosuits reduce muscle activity, or joint torque, or metabolic rate, or about the optimal assistance levels, specific design features, etc.

And I love this technical aspect of research, but...

3/
Read 37 tweets
One of my new favorite videos

In lab we prove feasibility. Exos reduce EMG, fatigue, etc.
 
In realworld we learn true value & get insights like:
 
"Normally I'd put it [saw] on my knee. Which hurts my knee. Now I don't have to. I go like that [use #exosuit] without hurting"

1/
Has anyone had success designing lab #biomechanics experiments that enable us to get at these kinds of insights earlier in R&D?

Often there's tension btw highly-controlled experiments (academia loves) vs. open-ended/realistic tests (industry prefers).

Ideas? Suggestions?

2/2
Read 3 tweets
Thanks for all the great @BiomechanicsDay posts, videos & memories shared this week! Refreshing, energizing & inspiring! @CREATEatVandy & I posted on a few social media sites. Compiling here into #NBD2020 ode to #biomechanics! What biomech is to us...

1/

#Biomechanics is about improving lives. Improving mobility & independence for those w/ disabilities. Preventing injury & sustaining health in others.

We aim to advance understanding of how people move, & translate science/engineering out of the lab.

2/

engineering.vanderbilt.edu/create/
#Biomechanics is studying human movement and musculoskeletal loading to inform how we design #wearables, #exoskeletons and #exosuits to support and protect manual material handlers and other workers in physically demanding jobs. 

@EmilyMatijevich @lamers_erik @volgy
3/
Read 16 tweets
One of the most common questions I hear is: could occupational #exoskeletons cause muscle atrophy/loss? Interestingly I’ve never heard anyone ask: when workers develop overuse injuries (& miss work for days, end up immobilized for weeks, or leave) does it cause muscle atrophy?
1/
I’m far more concerned about the latter scenario, which we know occurs regularly. Based on current scientific evidence, given the modest unloading provided by most #exoskeletons & #exosuits, & given the strenuous jobs done by industrial users, atrophy seems unlikely (imho).
2/
Relevant excerpt from Krogh-Maden et al. in the Journal of Applied Physiology:
“...most literature suggests that reduced muscle loading must be drastic, such as limb immobilization or bed rest, to observe muscle atrophy."
physiology.org/doi/full/10.11…
3/
Read 14 tweets

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