Quick picking and heavy lifting are the most common problems in current workplaces. They can cause lumbar muscle damage. The operator then must spend energy, time, and money for recovery or rehabilitation. To solve this problem, we developed a passive-type assistive suit using air mesh material, elastic band, and wire. To determine the strength support effect of the passive-type assistive suit, electromyography (EMG) was performed for eight muscles and the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) was analyzed when lifting weights of 0%, 15%, and 30% of the subject’s weight in a Semisquat motion. Results showed that MVC increased as the weight of the heavy object increased. However, its increase was not proportional to the decrease in MVC according to the presence or absence of assistive suits or the weight of the heavy object. The highest MVC was observed for the erector spinae muscle under all conditions. The greatest decrease in MVC according to working clothes was measured for the vastus lateralis muscle (lifting: 17.7±2.95%, lowering: 18.3±0.55%). These results show that lifting work performed while wearing a passive-type assistive suit using wires and elastic bands is effective in assisting muscle activity.
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EMG and Usability Assessment of Adjustable Stiffness Passive Waist-Assist Exoskeletons for Construction Workers Jung Sun Kang, Bo Ra Jeong, Eung-Pyo Hong, Bok Man Lim, Byung June Choi, Youn Baek Lee, Yun Hee Chang International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing.2025; 26(1): 227. CrossRef
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the lumbar mobility and flexibility by the vertical vibration stimulation. The subjects were 21 young adults were divided into vibration group (n = 7) that applied 30 Hz vibration stimulation to the lumbar, foam roller group (n = 7) that relaxes the lumbar muscles with a foam roller, and good morning exercise group (n = 7) that stimulates the lumbar spine with the good morning exercise. The muscle strength, EMG and the sit & reach test were measured, to evaluate the lumbar mobility and flexibility before and after exercise intervention in each group. Results showed increasing in the vibrating group in muscle strength and EMG, and the good morning group and the vibrating group in the Sit & Reach test. This can be developed as a new alternative to exercise therapy for spine rehabilitation.
Many of the workers are exposed to work that burdens the musculoskeletal system, and musculoskeletal diseases, such as low back pain, are increasing every year. Various muscle support systems, such as wearable robots, have been developed to prevent musculoskeletal diseases at industrial sites, but the system is bulky. Therefore, the total weight is high, it is inconvenient to wear, and the wearer cannot freely perform the activities when power is not supplied. In this paper, in order to compensate for the shortcomings of the hard-type wearable robot system, a soft-type wearable suit using an elastic band was manufactured so that it is light and portable, as it does not require an actuator. The experiment was conducted to verify the effect of muscle strength assistance through an experiment (Measurement of Maximum Waist Torque and Measurement of the Approximate Dose) on the effect of the soft wearable suit. In addition, by making two different types of elastic bands in the wearable suit, it was possible to classify the more effective types for the waist and lower extremities according to the elasticity by comparing the muscle strength assisting effect according to the elastic band.
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EMG and Usability Assessment of Adjustable Stiffness Passive Waist-Assist Exoskeletons for Construction Workers Jung Sun Kang, Bo Ra Jeong, Eung-Pyo Hong, Bok Man Lim, Byung June Choi, Youn Baek Lee, Yun Hee Chang International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing.2025; 26(1): 227. CrossRef
Development of lifting-assistive passive functional pants for construction works Jin Zhi Chen, Jeong Eun Yoon, Zi Ying Liu, Sung Kyu Lee, Sumin Helen Koo Textile Research Journal.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Effects of the Wearable Assistive Suit on Muscle Activity during Lifting Tasks Kwang Hee Lee, Chul Un Hong, Mi Yu, Tae Kyu Kwon Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering.2024; 41(1): 47. CrossRef
Design development and evaluation of arm movement-assistive suits for lifting and movement for industrial workers considering wearability Jiwon Chung, Jung Eun Yoon, Soah Park, Hyunbin Won, Suhyun Ha, Sumin Helen Koo International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics.2024; 103: 103616. CrossRef
Enhancing wearability: designing wearable suit platforms for industrial workers Jiwon Chung, Hyunbin Won, Hannah Lee, Soah Park, Hyewon Ahn, Suhyun Pyeon, Jeong Eun Yoon, Sumin Koo International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology.2024; 36(3): 526. CrossRef
The purpose of this study was to develop and verify the smart insole based FSR sensor for measurement and improvement of the muscle strength imbalance. We recruited 15 subjects with muscle strength difference over 20% and 15 subjects with muscle strength balance below 10%. We developed the human body load insole and integrated modules using FSR sensor. Subjects walked for 5 minutes at a slope of 0% and a speed of 3 km / h on a treadmill with a smart insole. We measured the real-time muscle activity and foot pressure according to the muscle strength imbalance during gait. FSR data of the developed smart insole showed that the insole had similar accuracy and efficacy as muscle activity and foot pressure. This is the interval in which the muscle imbalance shifts from the stance phase to the load reaction, and the weight support is the largest, and the center of gravity of the human body passes over the whole foot, which is considered to cause the greatest imbalance. This suggests that there is a direct or indirect correlation between muscle strength imbalance of the lower limb and the imbalance of the body weight distribution during gait.
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Design and manufacturing of a smart insole Seung Joo Lee, Chae Young Park, In Hwan Lee Sensors and Actuators A: Physical.2026; 397: 117225. CrossRef
Functional evaluation of air insoles and methodology for determining the optimal thickness according to weight group Seungnam Min, Murali Subramaniyam, Heeran Lee International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics.2024; 101: 103582. CrossRef
Development of Plantar Pressure Distribution Measurement Shoe Insole with Built-in Printed Curved Sensor Structure Seung Yoon Jung, Chaima Fekiri, Ho-Chan Kim, In Hwan Lee International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing.2022; 23(5): 565. CrossRef
STUDY ON VISION-BASED MULTIDIRECTIONAL POSTURE AND MOTION ANALYSIS SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT WOO SUK CHONG, MI YEON SHIN, CHANG HO YU Journal of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology.2019; 19(08): 1940059. CrossRef
In this paper, we propose a new training system for the improvement of equilibrium sense using unstable platform. The equilibrium sense, which provides orientation with respect to gravity, is important to integrate the vision, somatosensory and vestibular function to maintain the equilibrium sense of the human body. In order to improve the equilibrium sense, we developed the software program such as a block game, pingpong game using Visual C++. These training system for the equilibrium sense consists of unstable platform, computer interface and software program. The unstable platform was a simple structure of elliptical-type which included tilt sensor, wireless RF module and the device of power supply. To evaluate the effect of balance training, we measured and evaluated the parameters as the moving time to the target, duration to maintain cursor in the target of screen and the error between sine curve and acquired data. As a results, the moving time to the target and duration to maintain cursor in the target was improved through the repeating training of equilibrium sense. It was concluded that this system was reliable in the evaluation of equilibrium sense. This system might be applied to clinical use as an effective balance training system
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