Mar 10, 2021

The ergonomics subcommittee of ASTM International’s exoskeleton and exosuits committee (F48) is seeking participants to support the drafting of a new standard guide for the utilization of digital human modeling (DHM). 

The draft standard (WK65347) aims to use DHM tools to understand the physiological and biomechanical effects of exoskeleton and exosuits on the human body resulting from collaborative work activities. The subcommittee is looking for DHM model builders and users to assist in clarifying modeling needs and application details and developing general standard guidelines to utilize DHM in exoskeleton design and evaluation. 

According to ASTM task group leader Dr. Bochen Jia, the use of DHM will accelerate the pace of safe and ergonomic design of exoskeleton and exosuit technology as well as help reduce the cost of manufacturing. 

“Ideal exoskeleton and exosuit development would use digital modeling tools in addition to human-in-the-loop testing,” said Jia, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering at University of Michigan – Dearborn. “This helps ensure the system is consistently considering the internal influences of forces, torques, and pressures on the body of the user.” 

In addition to this new standards development activity, the committee is actively developing 16 work items addressing medical exoskeleton needs in the industries of risk assessment, hazard evaluation, safety, mobility, and more. 

The exoskeleton and exosuits committee was formed in 2017 to develop globally-relevant voluntary standards for exoskeletons. With a current roster of more than 200 members representing 17 countries, subcommittees address safety, quality, performance, ergonomics, and terminology for systems and components during the full life cycle of the product.

The ergonomics subcommittee will be hosting virtual meetings to discuss this new standard April 6 – 8, 2021. ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member of the  committee at www.astm.org/JOIN. 

Media Inquiries: Jaime Martorana, tel+1.610.832.9796; jmartorana@astm.org
Committee Contact: Nora Nimmerichter, tel +1.610.832.9815; nnimmerichter@astm.org 

Release #11199

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