Physiological impact of powered back-support exoskeletons in construction: Analyzing muscle fatigue, metabolic cost, ergonomic risks, and stability

Powered back-support exoskeletons (BSEs) are emerging as ergonomic interventions in construction to reduce musculoskeletal injuries by actively enhancing user strength. However, their adoption remains slow due to limited understanding of potential physiological impacts, including muscle fatigue, metabolic cost, joint hyperextension, and fall risk. This paper empirically investigates the potential physiological risk associated with the powered BSEs during construction tasks. A user-centered experiment assessed the impact of powered BSEs on muscle fatigue, metabolic cost, ergonomic posture, and stability during common construction activities. The results indicated that the powered BSEs significantly decreased muscle activity for back and abdominal muscle groups by an average of 60 %, reduced metabolic costs by 17 %, and lowered ergonomic risks by 50 % without impacting stability. This study contributes to the understanding of the physiological impacts of powered BSEs in construction, providing empirical evidence of their effectiveness in reducing muscle fatigue, metabolic costs, and enhancing ergonomic safety.