The hybrid assistive limb (HAL) for Care Support successfully reduced lumbar load in repetitive lifting movements

Miura, Kousei; Kadone, Hideki; Koda, Masao; Abe, Tetsuya; Kumagai, Hiroshi; Nagashima, Katsuya; Mataki, Kentaro; Fujii, Kengo; Noguchi, Hiroshi; Funayama, Toru; Kawamoto, Hiroaki; Sankai, Yoshiyuki; Yamazaki, Masashi

doi:10.1016/j.jocn.2018.04.057

Cited by 40 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The wearer can even run and jump without difficulty. Thus far, the HAL for Care Support has been reported to reduce lumbar loads and improve task performance in repetitive lifting and snow-shoveling movements [17,18]. However, our search of the literature revealed no studies evaluating lumbar load during patient transfer movements using the HAL for Care Support.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Successful Use of the Hybrid Assistive Limb for Care Support to Reduce Lumbar Load in a Simulated Patient Transfer

et al. 2021

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To determine whether the hybrid assistive limb (HAL) for Care Support can reduce lumbar load during a patient transfer. Overview of Literature: The prevalence of work-related low back pain (LBP) among nurses is high. In particular, transferring patients poses a high risk for LBP due to the large lumbar load. Attempts to reduce the lumbar load are crucial to avoid the risk of LBP. Therefore, we investigated the effects of the HAL for Care Support. Methods: Nineteen volunteers (16 men, three women) lifted a 60-kg doll from a seated position to a standing position. The first transfer was performed without the HAL for Care Support, and the second was performed with the HAL for Care Support assistive robot. We evaluated transfer performance, the visual analog scale (VAS) score for lumbar fatigue, and electromyogram analyses of the trunk and hip. Results: Four participants (two men, two women) succeeded with the HAL for Care Support even though they were unable to perform the task without it. The mean lumbar fatigue VAS score for all participants without the HAL for Care Support was 62 mm, while that with it was 43 mm. With lumbar assistance from the HAL for Care Support, subjective lumbar fatigue during the transfer decreased significantly. A power analysis indicated adequate statistical power to detect a difference in the VAS score for lumbar fatigue (0.99). The activity of the left gluteus maximus alone increased significantly during transfers with the HAL for Care Support. No adverse events occurred during use of the HAL for Care Support for transfers. Conclusions: The HAL for Care Support was able to reduce lumbar load in a simulated patient transfer.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Successful Use of the Hybrid Assistive Limb for Care Support to Reduce Lumbar Load in a Simulated Patient Transfer

et al. 2021

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“…8A), capable of producing forces up to 40 N each. We calculated the dynamic performance requirements of this exosuit for an application to support the wearer's weight in awkward work postures, based on [44]- [48], and a pilot study. These requirements must be met by a portable PSS, which should be compact and lightweight.…”

Section: Implementation To Pss Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pneumatic Supply System Parameter Optimization for Soft Actuators

Joshi

Paik

2021

Soft Robotics

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Soft actuators using pressurized air are being widely used due to their inherent compliance, conformability and customizability. These actuators are powered and controlled by pneumatic supply systems (PSSs) consisting of components such as compressors, valves, tubing and reservoirs. Regardless of the choice of actuator, the PSS critically affects overall performance of soft robots because it governs the soft actuator pressure dynamics and thereby, the general dynamic behaviour. While selecting and controlling PSS components for meeting desired soft actuator performance, specifications such as PSS mass, volume and duration of operation must also be considered. Currently, there is no comprehensive study on PSS optimization for meeting dynamic performance and PSS specifications, due to limited understanding of soft actuator pressure dynamics, large solution space for PSSs, and variability in soft actuators. By considering critical parameters of PSS and soft actuators, we introduce and demonstrate PSS parameter optimization. We propose a normalized model for soft actuator pressure dynamics and quantify the relationship between PSS parameters, soft actuator design parameters and dynamic performance metrics of rise time, fall time and actuation frequency. Using these results, we optimally select and control PSS components to meet desired soft actuator performance for a soft exosuit, while minimizing mass of selected components. The measured pressure response with this prototype agrees well with simulations, with root mean square errors under 5.2%. This work is a step towards furthering the scope of soft robotics, as it enables PSS optimization, for meeting the desired soft actuator performance while also addressing PSS specifications.

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“…As noted above, early efforts were made using powered technologies to augment human capacity, particularly for military application. More recent reports have documented a variety of approaches using active technologies to support most or all of the body, often for heavy material-handling activities (e.g., Fontana, Vertechy, Marcheschi, Salsedo, & Bergamasco, 2014;Kobayashi et al, 2007;Miura et al, 2018). A majority of existing research and evaluation of active technologies in the occupational domain, however, has emphasized support for the lower back.…”

Section: The Presentmentioning

confidence: 99%