CONESTOGA COLLEGE
CISWP research contributes to needed data on exoskeleton use by Canadian workers

A panel of experts discussed the challenges and opportunities in exoskeleton adoption in a recent webinar hosted by the Canadian Institute for Safety, Wellness & Performance (CISWP) at Conestoga - the only college in Canada with a research institute dedicated to work and health research. 

CISWP focuses on applied research with the goal of developing practical solutions to build a Canadian workforce that's robust and inclusive, helping to address the country's skilled labour shortage.

To advance this vital research, CISWP launched two new state-of-the-art labs at the Conestoga Skilled Trades Campus in Cambridge to better understand injury risk and prevention, and to develop comprehensive databases to support the inclusive design of equipment, tools, and personal protective equipment for a diverse Canadian skilled trades workforce.  

The institute received funding earlier this year from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to advance knowledge on the impact of exoskeleton usage among women in skilled trades workforce and develop organizational resources to improve their design and adoption.

Workers who use exoskeletons - a wearable mechanical device to provide ergonomic support while increasing strength and endurance - report benefits of using the devices, but all three experts on the panel hosted by CISWP director Amin Yazdani said better ways of quantifying those subjective experiences are needed.

"There's still a need for peer-reviewed scientific research to back up some of these stories that we're hearing from the field, but I would say that the potential is tremendous. The results that we're starting to hear from companies that are using as well as some of the producer companies that are selling them are very encouraging, very promising, but we still need to have that research to back it up," said Matthew Marino, a physical therapist and certified professional ergonomist in Portland, Oregon, specializing in wearable and assistive technology consulting services.

Alessandro Telonio, a biomechanical engineer with more than 20 years of experience in human factor engineering, agreed. Companies interested in adopting exoskeletons ask for long-term data to back up the benefits reported by workers using the devices, but research is scant in the emerging field, said Telonio, senior scientist at Quebec-based manufacturer Mawashi.

"There's a tremendous potential, but it's a new market," Telonio said. "We need time, we need patience."

And they all agreed that it's critical to study exoskeletons in the field.

"You get out into the field and study them in the field because that's where they're used. Put them on real workers because that's who needs to use them," Marino said.

Yazdani summed it up by saying: "It's critical to study exoskeletons in the field and that has been CISWP's focus in the past few years. Gathering data in the field is integral to the research at CISWP, which has portable measurement and wearable sensors that can be taken to the job site. Field measurements give a realistic view of the worker's tasks, and the lab allows a controlled setting to analyze those movements to put the knowledge gained into action back in the field."

Marino said getting exoskeletons to help people is not the hard part. "Getting them to be comfortable and useful, acceptable and ultimately adoptable - that's the hard part. And that goes way further than just the device itself."

Exoskeletons are most likely adopted by people who have a need, such as those workers who struggle to get their work done in the required time because they're not as strong, have less endurance or are dealing with chronic pain or an existing injury, he said. 

That need makes it essential for exoskeletons to be designed for use by a diverse workforce with different abilities and different bodies, said Sarah Ballini-Ross, an expert in safety, public health and innovation. She is the co-founder of Evolving Innovation that helps companies of all sizes create safer and healthier workplaces, and uses exoskeletons herself on her sustainable farm near Salem, Oregon.

Design must be user centre to ensure they fit and work well - the key to successful adoption of exoskeletons in the workplace.

"I think one of the big gaps when it comes to exoskeleton research is really focused on the employee experience or the user experience of the exoskeletons. A lot of the research really focuses on the laboratory using sensors to really prove those reductions in muscle strain and fatigue, but it doesn't really help if people don't find exoskeletons comfortable, useful and beneficial to them," Ballini-Ross said. "A lot of it really comes down to if people find it useful and comfortable."

Exoskeletons hold much promise in safeguarding workers well-being and the panelists are excited about the possibilities.

"I think there's a ton of potential here and it's not even tapped yet. We're just at the very beginning of what might be possible," Marino said.

Watch the discussion here. 

The Canadian Institute for Safety, Wellness & Performance works to improve the safety, wellness, and performance of the Canadian labour force by generating knowledge, transferring research to practice, and strengthening workforce development - all in collaboration with stakeholders.