Structure design and ergonomic assessment of a passive exoskeleton supporting the lead apron for interventional surgery

Wearing lead aprons during interventional procedures increases the risk of musculoskeletal discomfort. The solutions that reduce the burden of lead aprons, such as suspension brackets and mobile brackets, seriously affect the range of medical staff’s activities and surgical fluency. Therefore, this study proposes a wearable, lightweight, weight-bearing passive exoskeleton suitable for medical scenarios. The shoulder and back support structures bear the weight of lead aprons, and the lower limb exoskeleton structure transfers the weight to the ground, thereby mitigating the risk of musculoskeletal disorders caused by long-term weight-bearing. Additionally, the effectiveness of the exoskeleton is investigated through ergonomic evaluation of shoulder pressure, waist pressure, and muscular activity. The shoulder and waist pressure are measured with a wearable pressure test vest with three different postures (upright, bent 15°, and bent 30°) under two conditions of with and without the exoskeleton. The surface electromyographic of the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, lateral gastrocnemius, and soleus are measured with and without exoskeleton during walking. With the exoskeleton, shoulder pressure is reduced by up to 87.0%, waist pressure by up to 86.6%, and muscle activity by up to 31.5%. Experimental results demonstrate that the exoskeleton can reduce the physical load on medical staff wearing lead aprons during interventional surgeries.