Field Testing of the Influence of Assistive Wear on the Physical Fitness of Nursing-Care Workers

Abstract

There are several problems involved with introducing assistive technologies, which amplify human physical strength or reduce fatigue, to actual environment. One of the problem is that there is the possibility that the muscular strength of the user decline due to the reduction of the physical burden associated with the work. Therefore, the changes in physical performance due to the use of the assistive devices need to be quantitatively evaluated. In this study, a four-week monitoring test (including a two-week trial period) was performed with a total of 30 nursing-care workers in a nursing home. The participants wore an assistive wear “Smart Suit Lite” for two weeks and their subjective fatigue and physical strength were evaluated over the course of the study. The results show that the feeling of fatigue was decreased in each of the subjects by an average of 16% as a result of using the assistive wear. However, there was no significant difference in the subjects’ physical fitness (back-muscle strength, grip strength, sitting–standing capability, standing long-jump ability, or one-legged standing ability), indicating that there was no decrease in physical strength due to the use of the Smart Suit Lite during normal work over two weeks.