WearRAcon 19 Conference Agenda
March 26 – 28, 2019
DoubleTree Hotel, Scottsdale, AZ
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
8:00am – 9:00am: Registration Opens: Breakfast & Networking with Sponsors
9:00am – 9:30am: Welcome/Opening Remarks
Presenter: Joe Hitt, Wearable Robotics Association
9:30am – 10:30am: Keynote (1)
Presenter: Hugh Herr, Ph.D., Professor, Media Arts and Sciences, MIT Media Lab
10:30am – 11:00am: Break | Spotlight Demo: Angel Robotics
11:00am – 11:30am: General Session 1
Presenter: Jose Pons, Research Professor, Neural Rehabilitation Group
11:30am – 12:00pm: General Session 2: Application of Exoskeleton in NeuroRehabilitation: Vision and Technical Challenges
This session will explore the use of anatomical, biomechanical, neuro-mechanical, biochemical and neurological models of human body to guide the designs of augmentation technologies for persons with neurological condition that wish to extend their capability to new levels. Topics include robotic exoskeletons and external limb prostheses.
Presenter: Zen KOH, Managing Director, Fourier Intelligence
12:00pm – 1:00pm: Lunch & Exhibits
1:00pm – 2:00pm: Breakout Sessions
Session B01: Automotive Forum: Status of Exoskeleton Usage (Industry Track)
This session will present information on current usage and gap areas, plus emerging integration strategies.
Panelists:
Marisol Barrero, Project Manager, Ergonomics, Toyota Motor North America
Jason Komorowski, Intel
Marty Smets, Ford Motor Company
Session B02: Wearable Technology Design and Clinical Assessments (Medical/Rehab Track)
Part 1 (A. Trejos): A Mechatronic Device for Suppression of Parkinsonian Hand Tremor
Among all of the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), tremor significantly affects the daily lives of patients, as it makes the activities of daily living such as eating, dressing, and writing very difficult. Traditional drug treatments are often ineffective and may produce adverse effects. Brain surgery may ease certain tremors, but can result in permanent complications. Wearable technology for tremor suppression is a promising solution for patients who do not respond to medication and do not present severe enough symptoms to undergo surgery. At the Wearable Biomechatronics Laboratory, we have been working on the design of a wearable tremor suppression glove. This presentation will focus on various aspects of the mechatronic design, including control system development and design for wearability, along with the preliminary and clinical assessments.
Speakers:
Sunil Agrawal, Columbia University
Ana Luis Trejos, Western University (Canada)
2:15 – 3:15pm: Breakout Sessions
Session B03: Automotive Forum: Exoskeleton Research & Emerging Standards (Industry Track)
This session will present a summary of research and gap areas. Panelists will also summarize ATSM F48 activity and research.
Panelists:
Marisol Barrero Project Manager, Ergonomics, Toyota Motor North America
Jason Komorowski, Intel
Tom Sugar, ASU/WearRA
Ron Zmijewski, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Session B04: Medical/Rehab
Speakers:
Tim Swift, Roam Robotics
Zack Lerner, Northern Arizona University
3:15pm – 3:45pm: Break | Spotlight Demo: Skelex
3:45pm – 4:45pm Breakout Sessions
B05: Exoskeletons for Injury Prevention and Assistance (Industry Track)
Part 1 (M. Marino): Exoskeletons for Return to Work – Do they have what it takes to support the transition from modified to full duty?
Occupational exoskeletons have become a very hot topic in the field of ergonomics and human factors despite a lack of evidence and standards to support and manage their use in the workplace. Companies are beginning to consider using exoskeletons in the return to work (RTW) process to support injured workers as they progress to full duty, but this is a new frontier. The research and known uses of exoskeletons have been focused on injury prevention for healthy workers rather than return to work for injured workers. If companies are going to provide exoskeletons to injured workers as they transition to full modified to full duty, they will need a process in place to do this safely, a standardized approach for collecting data, and a system for tracking progress and outcomes. This presentation will cover a process for using exoskeletons for RTW, recommendations for data collection, and proposed methods of tracking progress and outcomes.
Session Goals:
-Review key differences between healthy workers and injured workers.
-Review potential benefits and pitfalls of exoskeleton use by injured workers.
-Review a process for using exoskeletons for RTW.
-Review data collection methods to measure the effectiveness of exoskeletons.
-Review a system for tracking progress and outcomes.
Part 2 (H. Asada): Industrial Use of Wearable Robots for Ergonomic Accommodation and Productivity Improvement
The potential market of wearable robots for industrial applications is huge. In aerospace, automobile, construction, and heavy industries as well as many sectors of service industry, numerous jobs are still dependent on manual labors. Workers performing fatiguing tasks can be assisted by wearable robots that can reduce human workload and increase productivity. In this session, emerging wearable robot technologies for workers’ ergonomic accommodation and productivity enhancement will be introduced, and their potential applications and challenges will be discussed. These include active and passive exoskeletons and extra robotic limbs.
Speakers:
Matt Marino, Briotix
Harry Asada, MIT
B06: Medical/Rehab
Speakers:
James Patton, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
Lou Awad, Boston University
5:00pm – 6:00pm: Welcome Reception & IEEE Poster Session
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
8:00am – 9:00am: Registration Opens: Breakfast & Networking with Sponsors
9:00am – 10:00am: Keynote 2: Walk: From Bedside to Sidewalk
Exoskeletons for the lower extremities can be very useful to restore movement abilities in two ways. First, they can promote neurorehabilitation as training devices after neurological injuries such as spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury and stroke. Second, they can be used as assistive devices to support patients or elders with gait impairments in daily life situations. However, current solutions are still too bulky, too heavy and with too little battery power. Furthermore, joint misalignments often lead to mechanical stress in the attachment points, and patient engagement and motivation is limited. These disadvantages result to discomfort and unsatisfactory performance. This talk will present new solutions and future trends of stationary gait training robots as well as wearable exoskeleton devices that are more convenient than previous devices and provide patient-cooperative control strategies in order to better engage the patient during the movement. Virtual Reality features can help to motivate the patients during training. A new lightweight and under-actuated tendon-driven “Myosuit” exoskeleton makes the system wearable so that it provides more mobility during therapeutic training in hospitals and higher comfort and performance for daily use outside the hospital. The talk will finish with an outlook about the Cybathlon, a competition that promotes the development of future exoskeletal systems for people with gait disorders. The next Cybathlon is going to take place in Zurich, on May 1 and 2, 2020.
Presenter: Robert Riener, Ph.D., Professor, Sensory-Motor Systems Lab, ETH Zurich
10:00am – 11:00am: Innovation Challenge Finalist Presentation
11:30am – 12:30pm Breakout Sessions
Breakout 07: Industry Applications: Understanding the Impact of Using Physical Support Devices/Exoskeletons (Industry Track)
Part 1 (Y. Giovanelli): Integration Process of New Technologies of Physical Assistance for the Rolling Stock Maintenance
Following a workshop maintenance on Rolling Stock carried out in 2014, the Head of the SNCF Rolling Stock launched an experimental project on the New Technologies of Physical Assistance (NTPA). The objective was to check whether they are suitable for the maintenance of trains. The establishment of NTPA modifies the work, and then it is important to understand the stakes and the impacts, the gains and the potential risks in order to anticipate them during the phases of design and experimentation. Yonnel will discuss how the agreement, AFNOR AC Z68-800, presents strapping physical support devices like exoskeletons (robotized or not), methodological tools and benchmarks for evaluating human-device interaction.
Part 2 (K. Zelik): Overcoming Key Barriers to Workplace Integration: The Science, Design and Evaluation of Spring-Powered Exosuits for Lifting, Leaning and Locomotion
This presentation will summarize research and development progress on a class of unmotorized, spring-powered exosuits (mechanized clothing) that are lightweight, low-profile, unobtrusive, quiet and can fit comfortably under daily clothing. Our goal is to overcome several key barriers to workplace integration and to widespread adoption of exoskeletons in industry and society. We seek to develop inconspicuous devices that: (i) fit and feel like everyday clothing, allowing unrestricted range of motion without components protruding out from the body, and (ii) can be engaged on-demand, using clutchable fabric springs to physically augment human performance. We will describe the science underlying these unmotorized exosuits: biomechanically how they reduce musculoskeletal loading, and their potential to reduce overuse/overexertion injury risks. We will discuss updated designs for various parts of the body (e.g., back, ankle) and various activities (e.g., lifting, leaning, locomotion), then share new experimental results showing how prototypes have reduced muscle loading and fatigue. We will also discuss user-specific muscle adaptation patterns, which may have important implications for the development of exoskeleton evaluation standards in industry, and how wearable sensors are being integrated to further enhance worker safety and productivity.
Speakers:
Yonnel Giovanelli, SNCF
Karl Zelik, Vanderbilt University
B08: Wearable Robotics for Disability Assistance (Medical/Rehab Track)
Part 1 (K.Kong): Control Strategies for Assisting Persons with Different Disability Conditions
In spite of advanced medical treatments, inevitable disability in locomotion can be caused by various diseases, injuries and even by aging. Impairments in walking ability has been partially compensated by the traditional passive orthoses. Functions of passive orthoses are limited and can’t fill the functional gap enough. Robotics technologies are steadily penetrating in our daily lives. Various robotic exoskeletons for lower limb assistance also have been developed to aid walking, the most common method of human locomotion. In this talk, various control strategies in wearable robotics for assisting people with different conditions and needs are introduced. Strategies include a joint angular position control method, which may be the most intuitive method, and a joint torque feedforward control method. Experimental results and discussions for each control strategy will be discussed.
Speakers:
Cristina Piazza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT)
Kyoungchul Kong, KAIST/Angel Robotics
12:30pm – 1:30pm: Lunch & Exhibits
1:30pm – 2:30pm: Breakout Sessions
B09: Logistics Forum Part 1: Ergonomic Assessments for an Upper Body Exoskeleton Using Electromyography (EMG) (Industry Track)
Upper body exoskeletons have the potential to be a practical intervention for shoulder injury reduction, but testing is needed to document benefits and drawbacks of these assistive devices. We have collected on-site data at John Deere and Toyota, along with a lab-based study of common postures used on assembly lines. Wireless EMG sensors were used to measure muscle activation during job tasks with and without an exoskeleton. EMG data were then compared to threshold limit values as a predictor of upper body fatigue and potential injury risk. We will discuss how to interpret our experimental data and how the results may be used to make decisions about exoskeleton usage.
Learning Points:
- The experimental protocols we have used for on-site assessments of an exoskeleton
- Results from studies at John Deere, Toyota, and the Biomechanics Lab at Iowa State
- How EMG results may be used to evaluate exoskeletons for specific job tasks
Speakers:
Terry Butler, Lean Steps Consulting
Jason Gillette, Iowa State University
B10: Advancements in Robotic Prostheses (Medical/Rehab Track)
Part 1 (E. Rouse): Variable Stiffness Mechanisms in Prosthetics / Exoskeletons, and the Development of an Open-Source Robotic Leg Prosthesis
To date, wearable robotic systems have not yet realized their full potential, and their impact on the lives of people with disabilities has been limited. One cause for these challenges is that the blueprint used to develop these technologies is flawed. Kinetics and kinematics of locomotion form the basis for the development of wearable robotic systems, and the underlying dynamic mechanical properties–collectively known as mechanical impedance–of human joints is not included in the design and control process. In this talk, I will discuss our approach to identify and incorporate the regulation of mechanical impedance into the development of wearable robots. Over the past several years, we have completed the estimation of impedance in the able-bodied ankle joint during locomotion. We have used the data to develop a new class of variable-stiffness ankle prosthesis and exoskeleton, and have leveraged this technology to gain novel insight into the role of optimal stiffness in ankle-foot prostheses. Finally, I will discuss our efforts to develop an open-source hardware platform for robotic leg research. I will describe the design and control principles implemented in our knee-ankle system, and show preliminary results in testing and characterization.
Part 2 (H. Huang): Neural Control of Robotic Prostheses
As the population of amputees in the U.S. grows to millions, there is an urgent need for new prosthetics technologies that can provide this large population with the best restoration of normal function possible. Advanced robotic prostheses, such as dexterous prosthetic hands and motorized prosthetic legs, have become commercially available. However, the function of these robotic devices is still limited due to the lack of adaptation. In this talk, I will focus on my research efforts in developing neural-machine interfaces for robotic prostheses to enable environment and context adaptation. Our innovative engineering approaches may further advance the function of robotic prosthesis and significantly improve the quality of life of individuals with limb amputations.
Speakers:
Elliott Rouse, University of Michigan
Helen Huang, NC State University
2:45pm – 3:45pm: Breakout Sessions
B11: Logistics Forum Part 2: Ergonomic Assessments for an Upper Body Exoskeleton Using Electromyography (EMG) (Industry Track)
Upper body exoskeletons have the potential to be a practical intervention for shoulder injury reduction, but testing is needed to document benefits and drawbacks of these assistive devices. We have collected on-site data at John Deere and Toyota, along with a lab-based study of common postures used on assembly lines. Wireless EMG sensors were used to measure muscle activation during job tasks with and without an exoskeleton. EMG data were then compared to threshold limit values as a predictor of upper body fatigue and potential injury risk. We will discuss how to interpret our experimental data and how the results may be used to make decisions about exoskeleton usage.
Learning Points:
- The experimental protocols we have used for on-site assessments of an exoskeleton
- Results from studies at John Deere, Toyota, and the Biomechanics Lab at Iowa State
- How EMG results may be used to evaluate exoskeletons for specific job tasks
Speakers:
Terry Butler, Lean Steps Consulting
Jason Gillette, Iowa State University
B12: Wearable Robots for Human Movement Assistance, Rehabilitation and Augmentation (Medical/Rehab Track)
Part 1 (N. Vitiello): Aging Population Affects Society Welfare Sustainability
The aging of the population is one of the most critical challenges that current industrialized societies will have to face in the coming years, and it threatens the sustainability of our social welfare. This presentation will introduce the research activities carried out at The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in the field of wearable robots for human movement assistance, rehabilitation and augmentation.
Speakers:
Tomasso Lenzi, University of Utah
Nicola Vitiello, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies
3:45pm – 4:15pm: Break
4:15pm – 5:15pm: Breakout Sessions
Breakout 13: Military Applications for Exoskeletons (Industry Track)
Speakers:
William Billotte, NIST
Ben Bronson, GoX Labs
Jose Vazquez, Boston Engineering
Breakout 14: Bringing Wearable Robotic Devices to Market (Medical/Rehab Track)
Part 1 (K. Davenport): How to Bring Your Wearable Robotics Device to the U.S. Market
This session will explain how to bring your wearable robotics device to the U.S. market, and what requirements apply once your device is on the market. We will discuss how and when to engage with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), what the regulatory pathways are, how to prepare for marketing the wearable robotic, and how to stay in compliance once the device is on the market. We will also discuss to what extent foreign data can be used to support a marketing submission to the FDA. The session will conclude with Q&As to address issues of interest to the audience.
Part 2 (C. Wu): Four Critical Points for the Emerging Exoskeleton Industry: Production, Training, Service and Business Model
Speakers:
Kristin Davenport, Of Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP
Cheng-Hua Wu, Founder & CEO, FREE Bionics
5:30pm – 6:30pm: Sponsor Reception/Innovation Challenge Winner
Thursday, March 28, 2019
8:00am – 8:45am: Registration & Breakfast
8:45am – 9:45am: Breakout Sessions
B15: Insurance Forum: Risk and Insurance Impacts of Using Wearable Robotics (Industry Track)
This Risk and Insurance Forum is designed to facilitate a dialog between manufacturers, users, researchers, government and the insurance industry to discuss the myriad of employee safety and worker’s compensation related impacts of wearable robotic devices. This session is intended to not only get attendees to better understand the net benefits of the technologies, but also to understand the driving factors that impact worker’s safety and worker’s compensation insurance.
Speakers:
Charlie Sidoti, Insurance Discourse
Delia Treaster, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
Don Peterson, Northern Illinois University
B16: Medical/Rehab
Speakers:
Ashish Deshpande, University of Texas at Austin
Diogo Schwerz de Lucena, University of California, Irvine
Quentin Sanders, University of California, Irvine
10:00am – 11:00am: Breakout Sessions
B17: Insurance Forum: Understanding Products Liability Insurance Issues (Industry Track)
This Risk and Insurance Forum is designed to facilitate a dialog between manufacturers, users, researchers, government and the insurance industry to discuss the following:
- How wearable robotics device manufacturers can better understand and navigate the products liability insurance marketplace.
- How insurance providers can better understand the nature and scope of risks associated with using a device from third party products liability perspective.
Speakers:
Charlie Sidoti, Insurance Discourse
Jan Veneman, Hocoma AG
B18: Medical/Rehab
Speakers:
Gail Forrest, Kessler Foundation
Karen Nolan, Kessler Foundation
11:00am – 11:15am Break
11:15am – 12:45pm General Session: ASTM Standards
12:45pm – 1:00pm: Closing Remarks