Bilateral back extensor exosuit (BBEX) for multidimensional force assistance and prevention of spinal overuse injuries during lifting

Lumbar spine injuries resulting from heavy or repetitive lifting remain a prevalent concern in workplaces. Back-support devices have been developed to mitigate these injuries by aiding workers during lifting tasks. However, existing devices often fall short in providing multidimensional force assistance for asymmetric lifting - an essential feature for practical workplace use. Additionally, validation of device safety across the entire human spine has been lacking. This paper introduces the Bilateral Back Extensors Exosuit (BBEX), a robotic back-support device designed to address both functionality and safety concerns. The design of the BBEX draws inspiration from the anatomical characteristics of the human spine and back extensor muscles. Employing a multi-degree-of-freedom architecture and serially connected linear actuators, the device's components are strategically arranged to closely mimic the biomechanics of the human spine and back extensor muscles. To establish the efficacy and ..., Eleven men who had no histories of low back injury or musculoskeletal disorders volunteered to participate in the study. The mean (SD in parenthesis) of age, height, sitting height and body mass of the participants were 25.73 years (0.96 years), 174.45 cm (3.06 cm), 89.91 cm (2.57 cm) and 76.36 kg (8.41 kg), respectively. Further details on the participants are described in table S2. All participants received an information letter prior to the experiments and signed an informed consent form.
All participants performed two types of tasks: a symmetric lifting task and an asymmetric lifting task, and conducted each task twice, with and without the BBEX. Thus, a total of four experiments were conducted for each participant. Each experiment was performed at intervals of one week to exclude the effects of the previous experiment. All experimental procedures performed in the study were approved by the Institutional Review Board of Seoul National University (IRB No. 1912/001-003), and all parti..., , # Bilateral Back Extensor Exosuit (BBEX) for Multidimensional Force Assistance and Prevention of Spinal Overuse Injuries during Lifting

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.fbg79cp45](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.fbg79cp45)

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DATA AND ANALYSIS CODE FOR:

Bilateral Back Extensor Exosuit (BBEX) for Multidimensional Force Assistance and Prevention of Spinal Overuse Injuries during Lifting

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'Suit' refers to the condition where participants conducted the experiment wearing the BBEX. 'Nosuit' refers to the condition where participants conducted the experiment without the BBEX. 'Sagittal' and 'Symmetric' refer to the experiments where participants conducted lifting tasks symmetrically in a sagittal plane.

'Side' and 'Asymmetric' refer to the experiments where participants conducted lifting tasks asymmetrically.

## **CON...