Status: Pending ethics. Formal data collection will not begin until Office of Research Ethics clearance. Please contact Jan to be added to the waitlist to be contacted once ORE clearance is obtained.
Overview: Lower-limb robotic exoskeletons have been developed for applications such as spinal cord injury (SCI) and stroke rehabilitation. So far, no procedures are available to help familiarize users how to move with one. Although instruction manuals are provided, the information is either insufficient or lacking in this regard. The goal of this study is to develop a protocol that can better prepare able-bodied first-time users wearing an exoskeleton. 10 able-bodied exoskeleton users will be recruited and evenly distributed into control and experimental groups. Participants in the experimental group will perform some tutorial activities to prepare for the exoskeleton. Meanwhile, the control group will not receive any tutorial. Participants from both groups will be asked to complete one questionnaire before the study and a few questionnaires after using the exoskeleton. The purpose of these questionnaires is to record their experience and how their expectations have changed before and after wearing an exoskeleton. This protocol can improve the safety of researchers and their study participants when wearing a lower-limb robotic exoskeleton. Adjusting this protocol to geriatric populations can enhance user safety and improve device acceptance, hence can potentially provide more value in studies involving robotic assistive devices in geriatric users.