Relevance of hazards in exoskeleton applications: a survey-based enquiry

Exoskeletons are becoming the reference technology for assistance and augmentation of human motor functions in a wide range of application domains. Unfortunately, the exponential growth of this sector has not been accompanied by a rigorous risk assessment (RA) process, which is necessary to identify...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation 2023-05, Vol.20 (1), p.68-68, Article 68
Main Authors: Massardi, Stefano, Pinto-Fernandez, David, Babič, Jan, Dežman, Miha, Trošt, Andrej, Grosu, Victor, Lefeber, Dirk, Rodriguez, Carlos, Bessler, Jule, Schaake, Leendert, Prange-Lasonder, Gerdienke, Veneman, Jan F, Torricelli, Diego
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Exoskeleton
Exoskeleton Device
Exoskeletons
Hazard identification
Hazardous events
Hazards
Health aspects
Human motion
Humans
Medical equipment
Motion detection
New technology
Personal grooming
Physical assistant robots
Rehabilitation
Risk assessment
Risk factors
Robots
Safety
Self-help devices for the disabled
Spinal Cord Injuries
Surveys
Surveys and Questionnaires
Wearable robots
Wounds and injuries
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Summary:Exoskeletons are becoming the reference technology for assistance and augmentation of human motor functions in a wide range of application domains. Unfortunately, the exponential growth of this sector has not been accompanied by a rigorous risk assessment (RA) process, which is necessary to identify the major aspects concerning the safety and impact of this new technology on humans. This situation may seriously hamper the market uptake of new products. This paper presents the results of a survey that was circulated to understand how hazards are considered by exoskeleton users, from research and industry perspectives. Our analysis aimed to identify the perceived occurrence and the impact of a sample of generic hazards, as well as to collect suggestions and general opinions from the respondents that can serve as a reference for more targeted RA. Our results identified a list of relevant hazards for exoskeletons. Among them, misalignments and unintended device motion were perceived as key aspects for exoskeletons' safety. This survey aims to represent a first attempt in recording overall feedback from the community and contribute to future RAs and the identification of better mitigation strategies in the field.
ISSN:1743-0003
1743-0003
DOI:10.1186/s12984-023-01191-y