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Exoskeletons in Rehabilitation Applications: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 November 2024) | Viewed by 2013

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Mechatronics and Automatics, Koszalin Technical University, Koszalin, Poland
Interests: IMU; exoskeletons; sensors; kinematic; dynamic; human gait
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, extensive research has been conducted around the world on wearable robots and orthotic devices that support the movement of lower limbs. Wearable robots are devices that constitute a new class of articulated mechanical systems. These particular types of robots operate in close contact with a human user. They are worn by an operator like a suit, and their kinematic structure is similar to a human limb. Wearable robots are called exoskeletons. Exoskeleton robots integrate sensing, control, and other technologies and exhibit the characteristics of bionics, robotics, information and control science, medicine, and other interdisciplinary areas.

In this Special Issue, we collect research on the following topics, but not are limited to them:

  • The mechanical design and control of exoskeletons;
  • Human–robot integration;
  • Gait studying and measurement;
  • Rehabilitation exoskeleton robots;
  • Multimodal information fusion;
  • Algorithms for exoskeleton sensors and control;
  • Exoskeleton sensory system;
  • Applications in rehabilitation and operation assistance;
  • Inertial sensors, resistive sensors, capacitive sensors;
  • Flexible wearable sensor and e-skins;
  • Multifunctional sensor array;
  • Distributed sensory network.

Dr. Sebastian Głowiński
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 1483 KiB  
Article
Can a Novel Light Weight Minimal Support Lifting Exoskeleton Modify Lifting Movement in People without Low Back Pain?
by Tamer Burjawi, Rifai Chai, Matthew Arrowsmith and Adrian Pranata
Sensors 2024, 24(15), 5067; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24155067 - 5 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1328
Abstract
Low back pain (LBP) is a major contributor to lifting-related disabilities. To minimize the risk of back pain, emerging technologies known as lifting exoskeletons were designed to optimize lifting movements. However, it is currently unknown whether a minimally supportive exoskeleton can alter the [...] Read more.
Low back pain (LBP) is a major contributor to lifting-related disabilities. To minimize the risk of back pain, emerging technologies known as lifting exoskeletons were designed to optimize lifting movements. However, it is currently unknown whether a minimally supportive exoskeleton can alter the lifting movement in people without LBP. This study aims to investigate if wearing a novel lightweight exoskeleton that minimally supports the back, hip, and knee can alter the lifting range of motion and movement variations in people without LBP. This study also aims to investigate if wearing this novel exoskeleton can result in a reliable between-day lifting movement. In two separate sessions (each one week apart), fourteen participants lifted a box (that weighed 10% of their body weight) ten times, once while wearing an exoskeleton and once while not wearing an exoskeleton. Wearing the novel exoskeleton during lifting produced moderate-high, test-retest reliability (Trunk: ICC3,1 = 0.89, 95% CI [0.67, 0.96], SEM = 9.34°; Hip: ICC3,1 = 0.63, 95% CI [0.22, 0.88], SEM = 2.57°; Knee: ICC3,1 = 0.61, 95% CI [0.23, 0.87], SEM = 2.50°). Wearing an exoskeleton significantly decreased the range of motion of the knee (F1,4 = 4.83, p = 0.031, ηp2 = 0.06). Additionally, wearing an exoskeleton significantly decreased hip (diff = 8.38, p = 0.045) and knee (diff = −8.57, p = 0.038) movement variability; however, wearing an exoskeleton did not decrease the movement variability of the body’s trunk (diff = 0.60, p = 1.00). Therefore, minimally supported lifting through the use of exoskeletons can modify movement in people without LBP and produce reliable lifting movements. Wearing the novel exoskeleton is also desirable for monitoring lifting movements. Future studies should investigate the use of sensors and IMU to monitor lifting movement at work with the least amount of intrusion on an individual’s movement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exoskeletons in Rehabilitation Applications: 2nd Edition)
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