Knowledge Bank

The field of exoskeletons is rapidly developing to better address and prevent low back disorders and neck pain. These wearable devices are designed to relieve the load on the wearer by providing support or transferring the applied forces. Exoskeletons come in both passive and active forms. Passive exoskeletons operate through mechanical devices such as springs, cables, or other materials. Active exoskeletons usually contain motors which create force to allow the user to lift objects much heavier than normally possible. Although these devices have the potential to reduce the number of low back injuries in the workplace, sparse research has been conducted to investigate their effectiveness in military environments. The objective of this study was to quantify potential tradeoffs of two passive upper extremity exoskeletons on the lumbar spine.