Virtual Simulation and Analysis of a Neck Support Exoskeleton for Helicopter Pilots

Helicopter pilots experience high rates of occupational neck pain. This group sustain flexed neck postures the majority of flight time. Increasingly flexed postures away from the neutral position put greater levels of strain on the muscles and bone structures of the human neck. This is exacerbated by the additional weight of occupational equipment borne by the head such as the flight helmet and night vision goggles (NVG). In this work, we explore the feasibility of a dynamic passive neck exoskeleton reducing the neck muscle activation and associated neck pain risk of helicopter pilots. The primary objectives of this work consist of assessing a virtually simulated spring in reducing neck muscle activation in simulated range of motion, and the conceptual mechanical formulation of a simply designed dynamic neck exoskeleton to apply this assistance while minimising loss of cervical range of motion. The results show that in simulated flexed neck postures with a combined additional helmet and NVG weight of 2.3kg applied at the frontal bone of the head, a spring actuated mechanism can reduce maximal neck muscle activation by up to 20.49%. In addition, a spherical-prismatic-spherical four-bar mechanism can provide a large motion envelope for the cervical spine.