For workers performing long hours of lifting and repetitive tasks, even minor innovations can significantly help prevent future musculoskeletal injuries.
That’s why engineers at The University of Texas at Arlington have created a soft robotic exoskeleton designed to quite literally ease the burden by reducing strain on the arm and elbow.
PASE: Soft Robotic Support to Reduce Workplace Injuries
Known as the Pneumatically Actuated Soft Elbow Exoskeleton (PASE), the device features a lightweight silicone pneumatic actuator—a soft, air-powered component that assists arm movement during common industrial activities such as lifting, assembly, and drilling. Its flexible structure is intended to help prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders, which make up about 30% of all workplace injuries in the U.S. and cost an estimated $45–54 billion each year in compensation and recovery expenses.
“Our aim was to design a preventive, assistive tool that minimizes muscle strain before injuries occur,” said Eshwara Prasad Sridhar, graduate research assistant in the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering. “By leveraging the existing pneumatic systems in most manufacturing environments, this exoskeleton can be easily integrated into practical, real-world applications.”
The interdisciplinary project united a team that included Mahmudur Rahman (PI), assistant professor in the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering; Muthu Wijesundara (Co-PI), principal research scientist and head of the Biomedical Technologies Division at the UTA Research Institute; Veysel Erel, research scientist III at UTARI; and Sridhar.
PASE Design and Performance
The team developed PASE as a single-piece pneumatic actuator to reduce weight and mechanical complexity while enhancing comfort and range of motion. Made of silicone and mounted on a carbon-fiber onyx base plate with a soft neoprene exterior, the device delivers targeted assistance that follows the arm’s natural elbow movement.
In tests with 19 participants aged 18–45, researchers evaluated the exoskeleton during three tasks—manual lifting, basic assembly, and power drilling. When activated, the device lowered biceps and triceps muscle activity by up to 22% during lifting and reduced participants’ perceived physical and mental workload by 8–10 points on NASA’s Task Load Index compared to when the support was inactive.
“Preventing even one workplace injury has a meaningful impact,” said Dr. Erel, who heads UTARI’s soft robotics research. “This project demonstrates how engineering can directly enhance quality of life by reducing fatigue, minimizing strain, and promoting safer work environments.”
Advancing Soft Robotic Exoskeletons
The study, “Design, Development, and Evaluation of a Pneumatically Actuated Soft Wearable Robotic Elbow Exoskeleton for Reducing Muscle Activity and Perceived Workload,” appeared in the Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering.
Following this achievement, the team has submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation to develop the concept further into a full upper-limb exoskeleton capable of assisting the elbow, wrist, and fingers simultaneously.
“This kind of interdisciplinary collaboration reflects UTA’s core mission,” said Erel. “By merging expertise in robotics, mechanical engineering, and human factors, we’re developing practical innovations that have real impact in both industrial and everyday settings.”
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