Design Summary-Analysis Draft #2

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In the article, “Where’s My Supersuit”, Zelik(2019) has stated that human exoskeletons are under development for injury prevention, public use, and numerous other application suggestions. 5 years ago, they were initially developed to reduce the fatigue of jobs. Most people can benefit from the creation of exoskeletons. However, the exoskeletons are expensive, bulky and uncomfortable. These motorized exo-suits are targeted to assist the legs, arms, and hands.it could also be used to teach proper lifting techniques or to provide resistance training. Spring-powered exo-suits are also developed to assist ankle muscles for walking and running. Other developments would include neck-support for surgeons and nurses for surgical procedures. A clothing-like exoskeleton is developed for patients with lower back pain. The mechanized clothing will prevent pain. When the suit is switched off, the user will be able to move freely. Otherwise, the elastic bands will support the backload. 
Although the exoskeleton is bulky and uncomfortable, it is still a useful product to help avoid injuries for workers as well as to support and enhance body parts of patients.
One useful function of the exoskeleton is to help workers prevent injuries by reducing the fatigue of physically demanding jobs. According to Zelik (2019), employees in Toyota must put on exoskeletons as part of their personal protective equipment when working with overhead tasks to prevent injury caused by fatigue and muscle stress. 
According to the Marinov(2019), Toyota’s Woodstock Plant started having 24 workers in the weld shop to put on exoskeleton as essential personal protective equipment in November. On the following Monday, Toyota’s Printon, Ind., plant began implementing exoskeleton as part of protective gear during the course of work. By March, approximately 200 out of 7369 employees are required to put on exoskeleton during work. Marc Duplessis, the Woodstock plant’s health and safety manager said that they found out overhead tasks are one of the main contributors to injuries, so they consider different ways to fix this problem and exoskeleton is a good fit for it. 
The exoskeleton is a muscular-skeletal system used to protect the human upper body such as the shoulders, neck, and back. However, the exoskeleton intention is not to carry the whole body weight, it is just used to reduce injury and fatigue. Research has shown that the time a human put on the exoskeleton compared to someone without it took a longer time to get fatigued. Hence, the risk of getting injuries is lowered.
According to Zelik (2019), “nurses and medical professionals often perform strenuous lifting, leaning and carrying tasks to care for patients.”. Due to constant forces acting on their back during the course of work which tends to strain their lower back. Therefore, when fatigue kicks in they have a higher chance of injuring themselves and would experience lower back pain. Thus, if medical staff is equipped with a super-suit, the chances of suffering from back pain problems are lower. most importantly reduce fatigue.

Another useful function of the exoskeleton is to aid patients by supporting and enhancing their body parts. According to Khan et al(2019),  Patients who were wheelchairs users that had suffered complete or incomplete spinal cord injuries(SCI) were aided using exoskeleton to guide walking for 12 weeks. 12 patients were matriculated to 10 training sessions, 1 of the patients who suffered incomplete SCI were able to walk without wearing the exoskeleton after completing the course. The article also mentions research results had shown that personnel with severe SCI will need to have approximately 45 sessions of training to regain walking capability. 
In conclusion, an exoskeleton is a beneficial product to a consumer as it provides boundless assistance according to a person's needs.
It’s 2019-Where’s My Supersuit (2019, April 24). Retrieved January 31, 2020,  from https://theconversation.com/its-2019-wheres-my-supersuit-115679
Toytoya’s Woodstock Plant Makes the Levitate AIRFRAME Exoskeleton Mandatory Personal Protective Equipment (2019). Retrieved February 2, 2020 from https://exoskeletonreport.com/2019/02/toyotas-woodstock-plant-makes-the-levitate-airframe-exoskeleton-mandatory-personal-protective-equipment/

Retraining walking over ground in a powered exoskeleton after spinal cord injury: a prospective cohort study to examine functional gains and neuroplasticity (2019, 21 November). Retrieved  February 11, 2020 , from  https://jneuroengrehab.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12984-019-0585-x

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