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18-month controlled field study of a passive arm-support exoskeleton (EksoVest) worn during overhead assembly work at nine Ford automotive plants, with matched controls. Repeated questionnaires captured perceived work intensity, discomfort, usability and acceptance; plant medical-visit records tracked health outcomes. Exoskeleton use reduced perceived shoulder demands and may lower medical-visit likelihood. One cohort, two reports — see Publications. Data shared on request.

Details

Subjects

n = 198

Setting

Field — real workplace

Protocol / load

Overhead and elevated-arm assembly work during regular production shifts at nine automotive manufacturing facilities

Equipment

Repeated questionnaires (perceived work intensity, musculoskeletal discomfort, usability, intention-to-use) and plant medical-visit records

License

Available on request from the authors

Keywords

exoskeleton, shoulder, arm-support, field-study, longitudinal, automotive, eksovest

Added to catalog

2026-08-20

Publications

• Kim S., Nussbaum M.A., Smets M., Ranganathan S. (2021). Effects of an arm-support exoskeleton on perceived work intensity and musculoskeletal discomfort: An 18-month field study in automotive assembly. Am. J. Ind. Med. 64(11):905-914Perceived work intensity and musculoskeletal discomfort; 41 exoskeleton users + 83 controls
• Kim S., Nussbaum M.A., Smets M. (2022). Usability, user acceptance, and health outcomes of arm-support exoskeleton use in automotive assembly: An 18-month field study. J. Occup. Environ. Med. 64(3):202-211Usability, user acceptance and health outcomes; 65 exoskeleton users + 133 controls

Exoskeleton

Record type

Device evaluation

Device(s)

EksoVest (Ekso Bionics)

Body region

Shoulder

Actuation

Passive

Study design

Exoskeleton users vs. matched controls, 18-month longitudinal field study at nine plants

Outcomes

Subjective ratings, Discomfort / usability

This record is part of the exoskeleton collection.

Cite

Cite the dataset as its authors request (check the source page for an official citation); this BibTeX is a convenience starting point.

@misc{kim-eksovest-automotive-assembly,
  author = {Kim, S. and Nussbaum, M.A. and Smets, M. and Ranganathan, S.},
  title  = {{EksoVest in Automotive Assembly: 18-Month Longitudinal Field Study}},
  year   = {2021},
  doi    = {10.1002/ajim.23282},
  url    = {https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23282},
}