Analysis of Exoskeleton-Use for Enhancing Human Performance Data Collection

Exoskeletons – sometimes called wearable robots – are a very rapidly expanding domain with a range of applications and a broad diversity of designs. NIST’s Engineering Laboratory will be developing methods to evaluate performance of exoskeletons in two key areas 1) The fit and motion of the exoskeleton device with respect to the users’ body and 2) The impact that using an exoskeleton has on the performance of users executing tasks that are representative of activities in industrial settings and emergency response applications. The results of these experiments will inform future test method development at NIST, other organizations, and under the purview of the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) Committee F48 on Exoskeletons and Exosuits. For the first research topic, NIST will evaluate the usefulness of a NIST prototype apparatus for measuring the difference in performance of a person wearing an exoskeleton versus the person’s baseline without the exoskeleton while positioning loads and tools. The NIST Position and Load Test Apparatus for Exoskelons (PoLoTAE), which presents abstractions of industrial task challenges, will be evaluated in this research. Data is not stored in a Privacy Act System of Records.

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