🚀 Exciting News from Our Lab! 🚀
We are thrilled to share that our latest research has been published in IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors, a highly respected journal in our field! 🎉
📢 Title: Heuristic Evaluations of Back-Support, Shoulder-Support, Handgrip-Strength Support, and Sit-Stand-Support Exoskeletons Using Universal Design Principles
đź“Ś What did we do?
Our study critically examined four occupational exoskeletons using universal design principles (UDPs) to assess their usability, accessibility, and inclusivity across diverse worker populations.
đź“Ś Key Findings & Contributions:
🔹 Design Gaps & Inclusivity Challenges – Many exoskeletons still lack accessibility for women, older workers, and individuals with disabilities, limiting their usability in real-world work environments.
🔹 Assembly & Donning Complexity – Workers would struggle with assembling, wearing, and adjusting exoskeletons, which may hinder adoption in industrial settings.
🔹 Safety & Usability Issues – Our evaluations revealed that perceptible feedback, intuitive controls, and ergonomic fit need significant improvements for seamless user interaction.
🔹 Industry & Research Impact – Our work provides actionable insights for exoskeleton designers and policymakers to ensure these assistive technologies are truly universal, paving the way for safer and more accessible workplaces.
đź’ˇ Why is this important?
With workplace injuries—especially musculoskeletal disorders—remaining a critical concern across industries like manufacturing, construction, and healthcare, exoskeletons have the potential to revolutionize worker safety and productivity. However, their design must support all workers, regardless of their physical abilities or demographic differences. Our research offers a human-centered, evidence-based roadmap for improving industrial exoskeletons and advancing the future of work.
đź“Ť Join Us!
If you’re an undergraduate or graduate student interested in human factors, workplace ergonomics, wearable technologies, and inclusive work design, we invite you to be part of this exciting research at the Physical, Information & Cognitive Human Factors Engineering (PIC-HFE) Lab https://pic-hfe.research.st/ at The University of Texas at El Paso.
đź“© For more information or collaboration opportunities, contact the co-directors:
🔸 Dr. Priya Pennathur – [email protected]
🔸 Dr. Arun Pennathur – [email protected]
đź“– Read the full paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24725838.2025.2476438Â
Let’s shape the future of work together! 🚀 Message us if you’re interested.
We are thrilled to share that our latest research has been published in IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors, a highly respected journal in our field! 🎉
📢 Title: Heuristic Evaluations of Back-Support, Shoulder-Support, Handgrip-Strength Support, and Sit-Stand-Support Exoskeletons Using Universal Design Principles
đź“Ś What did we do?
Our study critically examined four occupational exoskeletons using universal design principles (UDPs) to assess their usability, accessibility, and inclusivity across diverse worker populations.
đź“Ś Key Findings & Contributions:
🔹 Design Gaps & Inclusivity Challenges – Many exoskeletons still lack accessibility for women, older workers, and individuals with disabilities, limiting their usability in real-world work environments.
🔹 Assembly & Donning Complexity – Workers would struggle with assembling, wearing, and adjusting exoskeletons, which may hinder adoption in industrial settings.
🔹 Safety & Usability Issues – Our evaluations revealed that perceptible feedback, intuitive controls, and ergonomic fit need significant improvements for seamless user interaction.
🔹 Industry & Research Impact – Our work provides actionable insights for exoskeleton designers and policymakers to ensure these assistive technologies are truly universal, paving the way for safer and more accessible workplaces.
đź’ˇ Why is this important?
With workplace injuries—especially musculoskeletal disorders—remaining a critical concern across industries like manufacturing, construction, and healthcare, exoskeletons have the potential to revolutionize worker safety and productivity. However, their design must support all workers, regardless of their physical abilities or demographic differences. Our research offers a human-centered, evidence-based roadmap for improving industrial exoskeletons and advancing the future of work.
đź“Ť Join Us!
If you’re an undergraduate or graduate student interested in human factors, workplace ergonomics, wearable technologies, and inclusive work design, we invite you to be part of this exciting research at the Physical, Information & Cognitive Human Factors Engineering (PIC-HFE) Lab https://pic-hfe.research.st/ at The University of Texas at El Paso.
đź“© For more information or collaboration opportunities, contact the co-directors:
🔸 Dr. Priya Pennathur – [email protected]
🔸 Dr. Arun Pennathur – [email protected]
đź“– Read the full paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24725838.2025.2476438Â
Let’s shape the future of work together! 🚀 Message us if you’re interested.