Exoskeletons and firefighters: homogenizing capabilities and reducing constraints (physical, cognitive, organizational). – EX-aequO

Firefighters have to perform particularly complex tasks that are both physical and cognitive, especially when they involve carrying heavy loads (e.g., extrication, stretcher carry). Despite firefighters' rigorous training, this poses two major problems:
1/ Differences in morphology (e.g., the gender effect) lead to a number of situational and organizational problems;
2/ Physical and cognitive fatigue is present, and over the long term leads to the development of musculoskeletal disorders.
The solution envisaged as part of this project, and already tried and tested in industry, is the use of an exoskeleton. In order to evaluate this solution from different angles, and also with the aim of systematizing the evaluation method for the exoskeleton solution, the work will be structured around three objectives.
Objective 1 aims to characterize the population (socio-demographic data, acceptability) and tasks (activity analysis), and to compare firefighters with other professions studied in the literature.
Objective 2 aims to select and then experimentally evaluate the impact of using the exoskeleton in two different situations. Physical and cognitive measurements will be taken to compare conditions with and without the exoskeleton, according to inter-individual differences (gender, morphology) in firefighters.
Objective 3 aims to help decision-making and the implementation of an exoskeleton among firefighters, by developing a simulation tool, and formulating recommendations for the design of an exoskeleton specific to firefighters, and recommendations for its implementation within teams in the field.
This work will have scientific spin-offs as well as a strong societal impact, making a first step towards more inclusion and less occupational risk for firefighters, generalized to other professions through decision-support tools.