Dunson-Todd, Malcolm, Nik-Bakht, Mazdak and Hammad, Amin 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2507-4976
(2023)
Evaluating Occupational Exoskeleton Performance in Construction: Towards Standard Testing for the Construction Industry.
Proceedings of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering 2023 Annual Conference, May 24 - 27, 2023, Moncton, NB
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Abstract
Occupational exoskeletons (OEs) are wearable devices designed to as-sist and enable human motion for workers in industries ranging from manufacturing to construction. As with workers in other industries, the opportunity pro-vided by OEs for construction workers is to reduce injury rates for the benefit of worker health and productivity. Potential risks also exist, including discomfort, compromised balance, snags, and increased stress in the unassisted regions of the body. The challenge comes in finding effective OEs for specific construction trades working on specific project types. To meet this challenge, this paper aims to develop a standardized OE efficacy evaluation framework for passive back-support exoskeletons (BSEs) for rebar workers. In-lab efficacy evaluation can lead to in-field effectiveness evaluation giving evidence for practical OE regulations, guidelines, and ergonomic risk indices to be used by the construction industry. The evaluation framework will include the assessment of a BSE’s effects on safety, productivity, and acceptability, including a tool for estimating an OE’s return on investment. The framework will allow for sensitivity analyses for hu-man attributes, including gender, age, and workers with prior injuries. It is hoped that this work will provide an integral step towards large-scale OE adoption for the construction trades.
| Divisions: | Concordia University > Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science > Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Article |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Authors: | Dunson-Todd, Malcolm and Nik-Bakht, Mazdak and Hammad, Amin |
| Journal or Publication: | Proceedings of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering 2023 Annual Conference, May 24 - 27, 2023, Moncton, NB |
| Date: | May 2023 |
| Keywords: | Occupational Exoskeleton, Construction, Standard Testing |
| ID Code: | 993458 |
| Deposited By: | Malcolm Dunson-Todd |
| Deposited On: | 13 Mar 2024 15:43 |
| Last Modified: | 13 Mar 2024 15:43 |
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