In 2023, 8 million sick days were taken across the UK for back pain. Could motorised exoskeletons be the answer to reducing occupational pain? Here, Dave Walsha, sales manager at drive system supplier EMS, explains.
Finding a treatment for chronic back pain can take years of trial and error. Standard treatments — typically massages, physiotherapy and yoga — can reduce back pain, but not in all cases, and can also be hard to access with NHS backlogs and time-financial barriers. More radical treatments, such as Ketamine Infusion Therapy, are being actively researched. However, due to risk, it’s unlikely that these treatments will ever become mainstream.
With standard treatments offering varied relief and alternative treatments too risky, could motorised exoskeletons provide a viable and efficient treatment for Britain’s back pain problem?
Motorised exoskeletons: a new frontier for pain relief
Motorised exoskeletons are wearable augmentative technologies that use a motor, lead screw and a spring to provide musculoskeletal support. The wearer activates the motor when they move, turning the screw and transferring power to the spring. This removes pressure from the user’s spine relieve back pain and support with heavy lifting tasks.
Unlike traditional solutions, motorised exoskeletons provide relief while the wearer works and can prevent pain developing. The 2019 EU-based project, SPEXOR, found that motorised exoskeletons could be used as a long-term solution, strengthening the wearer’s muscles and predicting potential physiological issues. SPEXOR further found that introducing motorised exoskeletons to the workplace could save Europe 4 billion euros annually.
However, industry questions surrounding motorised exoskeletons’ practicalityremain. The 2022 EXSKALLERATE project, aimed to increase the adoption of motorised exoskeletons by the manufacturing and building industry in the North Sea Region, noted that they needed design improvement. Motorised exoskeletons’ unreliability, rigidity, heaviness and noise has limited their widespread use. But choosing the correct motor could eliminate these issues.
Micromotors: enhancing motorised exoskeleton performance
Brushed DC motors are often seen in motorised exoskeletons due to their simple drive design, lower cost compared to their brushless counterpart and ease of control. However, care needs to be taken when selecting a brushed motor to ensure the commutation system, which will wear over the life of the motor, can deliver the longevity expected from the product.
EMS is the sole UK and Ireland supplier of leading miniature and micro drive manufacturer, FAULHABER, who advances small brushed DC motor technology with precious metal commutation.
FAULHABER SR series motors employ this type of commutation due to its compact size, precise commutation signalling and extremely low contact resistance, reducing wear-and-tear and enhancing reliability. Other benefits include no cogging torque creating smooth, accurate movement and speed control, higher overall efficiency and quietness, allowing for the desired naturalness, freedom, and safety while the wearer works.
This makes these motors ideal for exoskeletons. In fact, FAULHABER has found exoskeleton success in France with JAPET, who use four FAULHABER Series 1524 SR precious metal commutation DC-micromotors in its Japet.W model. Each motor weighs 18 grams and is strong enough to take the weight of three to four medium-sized cars throughout the working day. The Japet.W is actively used in France’s transport, construction and medical sectors, observing a 75 per centpain reduction in wearers.
Motorised exoskeletons offer a promising solution to alleviate and prevent occupational back pain, and with developing micromotor technology, the future of pain management could rest on the shoulders of forward-thinking, wearable support systems. With an ageing workforce, NHS backlogs, ineffective treatments, and working patterns not set to change for the foreseeable, motorised exoskeletons might just be the backup Britain needs.
EMS exclusively supplies FAULHABER products to the UK and Ireland. To learn more about FAULHABER S/G DC-micromotors and drive systems, and for specialist advice, contact one of our engineers today, https://www.ems-limited.co.uk/contact-us/.
