FW-HTF-P: Collaborative Research: Exoskeleton-Assisted Worker Performance Augmentation in Construction

Billions of dollars per year are spent on workplace-related injuries in the U.S., while construction trade workers are more likely to report poor health and severe pain due to undertaking demanding physical work and facing a high risk of injuries in poor working environments. Promoting the use of exoskeletons and exosuits (collectively called EXOs) is expected to alleviate this situation.

However, several fundamental questions regarding the EXO technology, the workers, and their work due to the use of EXOs have not been well answered yet, including “what are the indicators, criteria, and assessment procedures that could be used to measure the performance of the EXO technology scientifically in construction workplaces?”, “how could these measurements help to shape the development of EXO products in the future?”, “what are the best practices and strategies to help to reduce potential wearing risks?”, and “how are the work organizations and modes changed to fit the use of EXOs?” To answer these questions, it requires synergizing multidisciplinary expertise that fosters convergent research capacity. This research will advance the knowledge base of the worker-EXO-construction frontiers for enhancing workforce productivity, reducing the risk of work-related injuries, broadening workforce participation, and extending the career life expectancy of the construction workforce.

The objective of this Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (FW-HTF) planning research project is to investigate the impacts of wearing EXOs for the future of construction trade workers. The PIs plan to conduct human-centered investigations in three thrusts to accomplish this objective. First, the research team led by the PIs will conduct field evaluations of existing EXO products for three construction trades (drywall installer, plumber, and laborer) and collect their feedbacks about wearing EXOs to complete construction tasks for a long period.

Second, the research team will work with trade unions, construction contractors, and NIOSH research scientists and design a series of work studies for the future full research project to learn and identify how routine trade work organizations and modes could be changed to maximize the benefits of wearing EXOs and minimize their side effects on the workers. Third, the PIs will organize a one-and-a-half-day workshop to share the initial results and findings with academic researchers, industrial experts, and government officials and formulate important research questions and hypotheses for developing a full FW-HTF research project.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.