Abstract
Monitor test using KEIROKA（Fatigue-reduction）brace“Smart Suit Lite”was conducted for the investigation of its assistive effect and influence on physical fitness. KEIROKA is a concept of assistive technologies which reduce fatigue by supporting a part of human physical abilities. The assistive devices have the possibility to decrease user’s own strength by their support. Therefore, the changes in physical strength by the assistive devices need to be quantitatively evaluated. In this study, we conducted a monitor test of four weeks（including two weeks trial period）with a total of thirty care workers working in nursing home. The participants wore Smart Suit Lite for two weeks, and their subjective fatigue and physical performance were evaluated. The result shows that feeling of fatigue on the visual analog scale were decreased by an average of 16% by using Smart Suit Lite. On the other hand, there were no significant difference in physical fitness levels（back strength, grip strength, chair-stand test, standing long jump, one-legged standing with eyes closed）. This result means that there were no decrease in physical strength due to the use of Smart Suit Lite during normal work for two weeks.
