[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18492-18493]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-08816]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Analysis of 
Exoskeleton-Use for Enhancing Human Performance Data Collection

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 1, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 1401 
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via the internet at 
[email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Elizabeth Reinhart, NIST Management and Organization 
Office, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899; 301-975-8707; 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    Exoskeletons--sometimes called wearable robots--are a very rapidly

[[Page 18493]]

expanding domain with a range of applications and a broad diversity of 
designs. NIST's Engineering Laboratory will be developing methods to 
evaluate performance of exoskeletons in two key areas (1) The fit and 
motion of the exoskeleton device with respect to the users' body and 
(2) The impact that using an exoskeleton has on the performance of 
users executing tasks that are representative of activities in 
industrial settings. The results of these experiments will inform 
future test method development at NIST, other organizations, and under 
the purview of the new American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) 
Committee F48 on Exoskeletons and Exosuits.
    For the first research topic, NIST will evaluate the usefulness of 
a NIST prototype apparatus for measuring the difference in performance 
of a person wearing an exoskeleton versus the person's baseline without 
the exoskeleton while positioning loads and tools. The NIST Position 
and Load Test Apparatus for Exoskelons (PoLoTAE), which presents 
abstractions of industrial task challenges, will be evaluated in this 
research.
    For the second research topic, NIST will evaluate a method for 
measuring the alignment of an exoskeleton to human joint (knee) and any 
relative movement between the exoskeleton and user. Measurement methods 
prototyped by NIST for evaluating exoskeleton on mannequin position and 
motion will be applied to human subjects to verify the usefulness of 
optical tracking system and designed artifacts worn by users as 
measurement methods.
    Participants will be chosen from volunteers within NIST and adult 
NIST visitors to participate in the study. Gender and size diversity 
will be sought in the population of participants. No personally 
identifiable information (PII) will be recorded unless subject consent 
for PII disclosure is received. NIST intends to publish information on 
the analysis and results.

II. Method of Collection

    Participants will give informed consent prior to participating in 
the research. Information may be collected via a paper background 
questionnaire which may include disclosure of health information which 
may be relevant for safety and research reasons. Data will be collected 
using a combination of heart rate monitor, and video and still cameras 
to collect time and subject activity to correlate heart rate with 
activity and an optical tracking system which detects markers. 
Participants will be asked to complete a paper survey once data is 
collected for the research.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0693-0083.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Revision and extension of a current information 
collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 250.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1.5 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 375 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.

IV. Request for Comments

    NIST invites comments on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2019-08816 Filed 4-30-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-13-P