Exo Chair

by Korina Chen

Project Description

The Exo Chair is an assistive wearable exoskeleton designed for hospitality and food service industry workers. It addresses the problem of prolonged standing, reducing musculoskeletal fatigue during static standing and physically demanding operations.

Standing is a natural human posture; however, it has been proven that static standing for three hours or more has detrimental effects. In the contemporary world, standing positions are still common across many professions. Employees are restricted due to suboptimal work environment conditions, with minimal opportunities to walk around or rest. Thus, it is desirable to provide a working schedule that allows the workers to rest or frequently change activities, which can reduce the physiological processes of muscular fatigue relatively rapidly.

Within this project, the physical assessment and mechanism of an assistive exoskeleton is investigated. This research-led project adopts biomimicry design principles and a user-centred design approach. The ergonomic design of the assistive exoskeleton is evaluated and developed with prototypes and user testing throughout the design development phase with attention to aesthetic value. Overall, this project aims to enhance the working experience in the hospitality industry, in a working state where users can switch between standing/sitting at will. On this principle, wearable exoskeletons can be applied in the workplace to alleviate health hazards.

Orthographic views of user wearing the final model

User interaction simulating a barista making drinks in the sitting position

Rendering demonstrating details of the Exo Chair

Bio

I am a product design student with a user-centred approach and detail-oriented problem-solving skills. I am focused on creating meaningful experiences through design. My experience of studying has enabled me to develop design thinking methods to address problems in products and larger systems. I have a strong interest in emerging technology, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing. My key strengths are critical analysis, strategic ideation, sketching, rapid prototyping, and technical modelling using CAD programs. I care about the crafting details and consider the design of affordance to be crucial in creating effective, intuitive interfaces within the user experiences.

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2020 bachelor index