July 16th 2025
47th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC 2025), Copenhagen - Denmark
Overview
Evaluating wearable robotics, such as exoskeletons, is essential to determine their effectiveness. However, there is currently no standardized approach to this process, and professionals from various disciplines often struggle to communicate due to the differing metrics they use.
This workshop aims to bring together individuals involved in the evaluation and design of exoskeletons and wearable robotics, as well as stakeholders across their entire lifecycle - from conceptualization to practical application. It highlights the importance of evaluating these technologies from multiple perspectives, including those of developers and end users, to ensure they deliver meaningful benefits.
Evaluation is a cornerstone of the iterative design process, aligning the expectations and outputs of diverse stakeholders and helping the designers create user-centered solutions that fit the end users' needs. Participants will discuss desired validation outcomes, explore how others' outputs can contribute to their goals, and identify gaps between existing and needed outputs. This collaborative effort aims to close the loop by addressing these gaps and fostering innovation.
Format
The workshop will comprise two sessions divided by a networking coffee break. Each session will include 3 keynote presentations.
Finally, the workshop will feature a live demonstration of two exoskeletons: an industrial model and a clinical one. This hands-on session encourages real-time engagement, with participants exploring how theoretical concepts translate into practical applications.
Call for submission
Submission guidelines
The current workshop invites submissions in the form of extended abstract paper (2-4 pages, excluding references) in IEEE Conf format (letter). Extended abstract should be submitted as a PDF file HERE.
At least one author per accepted paper must register for the workshop (see Registration section). The submitted paper will be peer-reviewed. Accepted extended abstracts will be presented in poster format during an interactive session at the workshop. You can submit already published work, but you must clearly cite the prior and related submission.
We encourage submissions from early-career researchers, professionals in robotics, and participants from a wide range of scientific disciplines. In particular, we aim to foster inclusivity by encouraging submissions from women and emerging scholars, supporting both gender diversity and the active involvement of the next generation of researchers in the robotics community.
For any other questions, feel free to contact us at: maria.lazzaroni@iit.it with the subject "Workshop EMBS25".
Key dates
Submission open: May 1st, 2025
Submission deadline: June 16th, 2025
Notification of acceptance: June 23rd, 2025
Workshop day: July 16th, 2025
All times are Central European Time (CET) (UTC/GMT +1).
Topics of interest
We welcome contributions addressing (but not limited to) the following topics:
- Evaluation Methodologies for Wearable Robotics
- User-Centered Design of Physically Assistive Devices and Interfaces
- Cross-Disciplinary Communication and Metrics Alignment
- Validation Frameworks and Outcome Measures
- Case Studies and Lessons Learned from Real-World Deployment
- Standardization and Regulatory Challenges
- Innovative Tools and Technologies for Evaluation
- Challenges and Requirements of In-Workspace and In-Hospital Deployment of Physically Assistive Robots
Publication
The accepted papers can be further considered for submission to Sensors, Special Issue: Wearable Robotics and Assistive Devices (Open access; ISSN: 1424-8220; Impact Factor 3.4)
Workshop organization
Program
The workshop will take place in Auditorium 12, from 14.30 to 18.30.
| Time | Description |
|---|---|
| 14.30 – 14.40 | Welcome and Introduction by the Organizers |
| 14.40 – 15.00 | Envisioning Acceptable Industrial Exoskeletons: Evaluation Criteria Beyond Lab Experiments by Shirley Elprama |
| 15.00 – 15.20 | Closing the Evaluation Gap: Metrics and Methods for Next-Generation Industrial Exoskeletons by Jawad Masood |
| 15.20 – 15.40 | Exoskeleton Adoption in Industrial Contexts: Companies' Expectations and the Role of Standards by Maria Pia Cavatorta |
| 15.40 – 16.00 | Contributed Abstract Pitches |
| 16.00 – 16.30 | Coffee Break and Poster Session |
| 16.30 – 16.50 | Do Exoskeletons and Wearable Robotics Work? Examining Objective and Subjective Evidence for Efficacy by Lanie Gutierrez-Farewik |
| 16.50 – 17.10 | Wearable Robotics: What's Its Status in Current Clinical Practice? by Arun Jayaraman |
| 17.10 – 17.30 | Wearable Robotics for Older Adults: Aligning Expectations for User-Centered Design by Samuel Schülein |
| 17.30 – 18.30 | Exoskeletons live demonstration |
Invited speakers
Talk Title: Exoskeleton adoption in industrial contexts: companies' expectations and the role of standards
Dr. Maria Pia Cavatorta is professor of Ergonomics for Manufacturing Systems at Politecnico di Torino (Italy). Since 2016, she has supported companies in the evaluation and implementation of exoskeletons and, more in general, in the integration of human factors into workplace assessment and design. Her research interests include the development of functional ergonomic parameters in exoskeleton-assisted work, the evaluation of potential ergonomic risks from exoskeleton use and the biomechanical analysis of exoskeletons through musculoskeletal modelling. She participates in international standardization committees on ergonomics and biomechanics.
Talk Title: Envisioning acceptable industrial exoskeletons: evaluation criteria beyond lab experiments.
Dr. Shirley A. Elprama obtained her PhD about the acceptance of occupational exoskeletons in 2024. She loves to study the use of technology at work. She often combines qualitative and quantitative research methods and places stakeholder needs and technology at the center of her research.
Prof. Lanie Gutierrez-Farewik - KTH, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Promobilia MoveAbility Lab
Talk Title: Do exoskeletons and wearable robotics work? Examining objective and subjective evidence for efficacy.
Prof. Elena (“Lanie”) Gutierrez-Farewik is Professor of Biomechanics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, and is affiliated with Karolinska Institutet. She initiated and leads the research group at the Promobilia MoveAbility Lab, whose goals include analyzing neuromuscular function, predicting movement performance, studying added value of various interventions on movement improvement, developing wearable assistive devices that improve walking function, predicting risk of developing shoulder injuries from wheelchair activities, understanding how sensorimotor interactions affect movement performance, and developing mobile systems to measure and monitor movement in everyday settings.
Prof. Arun Jayaraman - Northwestern University, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Talk Title: Wearable Robotics: What's its status in current clinical practice?
Dr. Arun Jayaraman's work primarily focuses on developing and executing both investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored research in rehabilitation technology, which includes exoskeletons, prosthetics, orthotics, rehabilitation robotics, neurostimulation devices, and other assistive and adaptive technologies to treat physical impairments. He conducts all of his outcomes research using advanced wearable patient monitoring wireless sensors and uses novel machine learning and other AI techniques to analyze the data. He collaborates both nationally and internationally with many academic and industrial organizations and is internationally recognized in the field of wearable technologies. He has conducted over 50 large clinical trials in the field of wearable technologies and has published over 300 peer-reviewed publications, conference proceedings, and abstracts, including journals such as Nature, PNAS, Science Advances, Nature Digital Medicine etc. His teams are actively engaged in over 30 projects in the field of rehabilitation technologies.
Dr. Jawad Masood - AIMEN Technology Center, Advanced Robotics Technologies and Applications (ARTA)
Talk Title: Closing the Evaluation Gap: Metrics and Methods for Next-Generation Industrial Exoskeletons
Dr. Jawad Masood is currently heading the Advanced Robotics Technologies and Applications (ARTA) team at the AIMEN Technology Center in Galicia, Spain. He holds a Ph.D. and Master's degree in Robotics from the University of Genoa, Italy, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan. Before his current position, he served as a team lead at the Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia - Spain (CTAG) and held post-doctoral research positions at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rice University, and Halmstad University. His industry experience includes roles as a design engineer and quality assurance engineer at AE-Design and KSB Pumps. He has contributed to notable research projects such as CASANDRA, ReCobats, Mari4_YARD, HARTU, Converging, ZDZW, SmartHandle, PENELOPE, Merging, Sure 5.0, CircularTwAIn, COVR, EUROBENCH, ROBOMATE, NG-TEST, and PICAV, which have significantly advanced the field of robotic technology. He is the evaluator and contributor to the design of the research strategies for European Union Horizon Europe and European Union Innovation Council Accelerator Programme.
Prof. Samuel Schülein - Technische Hochschule Ulm /University of Applied Sciences Ulm
Talk Title: Wearable Robotics for Older Adults: Aligning Expectations for User-Centered Design.
Prof. Samuel Schülein is a Professor of Physiotherapy at Ulm University of Applied Sciences. He holds a Doctoral Degree from the Faculty of Medicine and a Master of Health Business Administration (MHBA) from the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), Germany. He obtained his Master of Science in Physiotherapy from the Faculty of Medicine at Philipps University of Marburg 2011. From 2011 to 2022, he served as the Head of the Mobility & Gait Laboratory and was a Lecturer in Geriatric Medicine at the Faculty of Gerontology at FAU in Erlangen, Germany. His research interests focus on mobility assessment and rehabilitation strategies for the elderly, contributing significantly to advancements in physiotherapy and geriatric care. The degree program at the Faculty of Mechatronics and Medical Engineering at Ulm University of Applied Sciences emphasizes medical technology, effectively preparing graduates for the evolving demands in physiotherapy. With increasing complexity in areas such as wearable robotics and prosthetics, the program combines theoretical and practical training, equipping physiotherapy students with essential skills for success in the field.
Contributed Abstract Pitches
1. Alessandro Filippeschi - Wearable Walker Exoskeleton Preliminary Assessment Using Physiological and Psychophysiological Measures.
2. Nicol Moscatelli - Kinematic-Muscular Synergy Evaluation of the Transparency of an Upper-Limb Exoskeleton for Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study on Healthy Subjects.
3. Cristina Brambilla - Autoencoders for Muscle Synergy Extraction: Improving Physiological Interpretability.
4. Mahnaz Asgharpour - A Sensor Fusion Framework for Adaptive Control in a Wearable Elbow Exoskeleton.
5. Alexandre Oliveira Souza - ExoSim: Towards Physics-Based Modeling and Validation of Human–Exoskeleton Interaction.
6. Arunabha Majumder - A Hybrid Shoulder Exoskeleton for Physical Assistance with Variable Impedance.
7. Yu Zhu - Hybrid-Driven Hip Exoskeleton for Energy-Efficient Assistance.
8. Jérémy Lefint - Assessment of Exoskeletons for Work Activities: The Dilemma Behind the Product.
9. Miklós Koller - Sensor Fusion for a Robust Hand Prosthesis and Exoskeleton Control System: A Concept Proposal.
10. David Beckwée - Identifying Environmental Barriers That Restrict “Life-Space Mobility” in Older Adults and the Potential of Lower Limb Exoskeletons: A Systematic Literature Review and Interdisciplinary Perspective.
