DS CWA 17913:2022

State of the art on the integration process of new physical assistance technologies such as exoskeletons

Scope

This document is intended for the workplace, including the following aspects: human, tasks, objects, environment, organization… and the link between all these components.
This document covers the implementation process, which implies the analysis of the existing, the probable future situation and the situation developed with the exoskeletons. All the questions that can be answered in terms of cost, benefits and risks should be asked, such as:
 Usability, acceptability and acceptance;
 Probable future activity;
 Alternatives in case of a degraded situation (exoskeleton not available, breakage of the exoskeleton, untrained user…);
 Productivity;
 Risks;
 Evaluation;
 The “maturity level” of companies/organizations who would like to integrate exoskeletons.
The CWA intends to synthesize the vision of users, researchers, employers, national institutes, and manufacturers. Its target audience are manufacturers, users and researchers.
This CWA excludes recreational and military exoskeleton use (such as task force and combat, but can apply to maintenance). It also excludes rehabilitation, occupational safety and health stipulations from the scope. This CWA does not apply/cannot be used to/in situations judging the acceptable level of clinical evidence of an exoskeleton.
This report will not contain any requirements, which will be contained in voluntary standards developed, under development or to be developed by National, European and International Standardization Organizations.