Personalized Computational Modeling to Support Effective Use of Back Support Exosuits to Prevent Back Injuries
Abstract
Back pain is the most frequent reason for medical visits and lost duty time in active duty military personnel. Among active Service members, low back pain is most common in those whose duties require them to perform lifting and material handling tasks, such as service, supply, and construction occupations. It is also known that tasks involving bending and twisting of the spine while lifting are likely to cause back injuries, and such activities are frequently performed by Soldiers while moving equipment. Recognizing these issues, a key research interest of the Department of Defense is the development of exoskeletons to improve strength, endurance, and reduce physical injury risk during loading and material handling tasks. Recently, our team has developed a soft exosuit for back support during lifting tasks. This exosuit is lightweight and easy to wear, and it uses small actuators to assist the back and hip muscles during bending and lifting. In this study, we will carefully evaluate how this suit affects the loads placed on the spine and hips using experimental measurements and computer models of the human body. We will recruit 32 healthy men and women to perform lifting tasks that replicate military-relevant lifting and material handling tasks, both without the exosuit and with the exosuit, while measuring subjects’ movements and muscle activity. Using these experimental data, we will then use personalized computer models to determine how forces on the muscles and joints are affected by the exosuit. We will then develop a computer simulation tool to evaluate how the control of exosuit assistance affects the loads on the muscles and joints, and identify the best way for the suit to provide assistance in different tasks for different people. This study will lay the groundwork for the development of better and more versatile exosuits that are beneficial and easy to use for people of all sizes, can adapt to different tasks in the field, and ultimately will help prevent back injuries in military personnel.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 10, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2010609
Entities
People
- Conor J. Walsh
Organizations
- President and Fellows of Harvard College
- United States Army