Human beings can enhance their distance running performance with the help of assistive devices. Although several such devices are available, they are heavy and bulky, which limits their use in everyday activities. In this study, we developed a lightweight running assistive device with a low-profile design. The device applies a flexion moment to the hip according to the hip extension within a specific range of motion to assist running. A passive exosuit was fabricated using textile materials and elastic bands. The deformation of the suit was measured and compensated for in the design. The fabricated suit was tested on eight participants (age: 24.4 ± 3.8 y; height: 1.72 ± 0.05 m; weight: 74.5 ± 6.1 kg) who were instructed to run on a treadmill at a speed of 2.5 m/s. Through indirect calorimetry, the metabolic rate was measured for the no-suit condition and three band conditions. Variations in the spatiotemporal parameters were measured using a motion capture system and force-sensing resistors (FSRs). When using the fabricated device, seven out of the eight participants exhibited a reduced metabolic rate in at least one of the three band conditions. An average reduction of − 4.7 ± 1.4% (mean ± standard error of the mean (s.e.m.), two-sided paired t-test, p = 0.017) was achieved when using the best-fitting bands compared to the average of the two no-suit conditions. No statistically significant changes were observed in the spatiotemporal parameters, except for the stance duration in the medium assistance force condition. The proposed passive exosuit, which has a low weight of 609 g and small extrusion of 2.5 cm from the body in standing posture, can reduce the metabolic rate during running. The proposed device can potentially be used every day owing to its low-profile design and low weight, thereby overcoming the limitations of existing portable devices targeting the hip joints.

中文翻译：

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使用轻质、低调的弹性外装降低跑步的能源成本

人类可以在辅助设备的帮助下提高他们的长跑成绩。尽管有几种这样的设备可用，但它们又重又笨重，这限制了它们在日常活动中的使用。在这项研究中，我们开发了一种采用低调设计的轻量级跑步辅助设备。该设备根据特定运动范围内的髋部伸展向髋部施加屈曲力矩以辅助跑步。使用纺织材料和松紧带制造了被动式外装。在设计中测量并补偿了西装的变形。对八名参与者（年龄：24.4 ± 3.8 岁；身高：1.72 ± 0.05 m；体重：74.5 ± 6.1 kg）进行测试，他们被要求在跑步机上以 2.5 m/s 的速度跑步。通过间接量热法，代谢率是在无西装条件和三带条件下测量的。使用运动捕捉系统和力感应电阻器 (FSR) 测量时空参数的变化。在使用制造的设备时，八名参与者中有七名在三个波段条件中的至少一个条件下表现出降低的代谢率。使用最佳拟合带与两个无的平均值相比，平均减少了 − 4.7 ± 1.4%（平均值 ± 平均值的标准误差 (sem)，两侧配对 t 检验，p = 0.017） -适合条件。除了中等辅助力量条件下的站立持续时间外，时空参数没有观察到统计学上的显着变化。拟议的被动式外装，重量轻，为 609 克，挤压量小，为 2。站立姿势离身体5厘米，可以降低跑步时的新陈代谢率。由于其低调的设计和低重量，所提出的设备可能每天都使用，从而克服了针对髋关节的现有便携式设备的局限性。