Dr. Jason Gillette leverages his biomedical engineering expertise and two decades of hands-on experience to share his observations on evaluating and task-matching industrial exoskeletons and wearable devices. In this episode, we discuss tools and methodologies for recording and analyzing job sites, from simple phone recording to EMG sensor studies and everything in between. The conversation flows between biomechanics and simple observations, underscoring the importance of understanding both objective and subjective data when conducting pilots.

Main topics: 00:00 Introduction 13:24 What are some tasks that make a lot of sense for occupational/industrial exoskeleton? 17:40 Can we have a digital tool that helps with exoskeleton to task matching? 22:37 TLV Equations (TLV = Threshold Limit Value, In this context it’s the Upper Limb Localized Fatigue TLV used to relate %MVC (percent of maximum voluntary contraction)) and duty cycle for raised-arm workand ways to calculate if a job is injury inducing? 30:38 Lessons learned from trials at companies like Toyota and John Deere 36:10 Additional hints or tips on exoskeleton to task matching. 40:08 Current work on evaluating occupational exoskeletons in a medical setting for patient handling. 49:03 Observations on adoption of physical assistive technology. 55:05 Call to action: be more open to sharing field and lab data.