Physiological consequences of using an upper limb exoskeleton during manual handling tasks

This study aimed to assess the physiological consequences of using an upper limb exoskeleton during manual handling task, as muscle activity, upper limb kinematics, postural balance and cardiac cost. Participants performed three tasks (load lifting (LIFT), carrying (WALK) and stacking-unstacking (STACK)) with (EXOS) and without (FREE) an exoskeleton. During LIFT and STACK, the activity of the deltoid anterior muscle was significantly lower for EXOS than for FREE. During LIFT, the activity of the triceps brachii (TB) and tibialis anterior muscles significantly increased for EXO. The TB muscle activity significantly decreased for EXOS during WALK. The cardiac cost tended to increase with the use of the exoskeleton during LIFT, compared to FREE. The upper limb kinematics significantly differed between the EXOS and FREE conditions for all tasks. The benefits of the upper limb exoskeleton to reduce shoulder flexor muscle activity has been demonstrated, while broader physiological consequences have also been evidenced as increased antagonist muscle activity, postural strains, cardiovascular demand, and modified kinematics.