USE_WR 1.0: A New Comprehensive Instrument for Subjective Usability Evaluation for Wearable Robots

A successful transition from university laboratories to the commercial market requires structured and comprehensive evaluations of the subjective usability of wearable robots. To achieve this, we aimed to establish a new standard instrument for evaluating the subjective usability of wearable robots, based on a thorough understanding of both product characteristics and the human body. We conducted a systematic review of the literature and critically analyzed the existing scales and tools used in previous studies. From this, we developed a new comprehensive instrument for subjective usability evaluation, consisting of two distinct sections: a unified metric-based scale and a body map as a visual tool. We named the new instrument the “Usability Subjective Evaluation for Wearable Robots,” abbreviated as USE_WR 1.0. For the metric section, a total of 70 evaluation items were included across seven categories: usefulness, ease of use, satisfaction, ease of learning, safety, emotion, and wearability. We maintained consistency in these seven categories with existing metrics commonly found in the literature. Additionally, we proposed a new body map characterized by more detailed body segmentation and the inclusion of all body views—front, back, and side—enabling precise identification of localized body regions of discomfort when using wearable robots. USE_WR 1.0 was validated involving 11 human subjects using a commercially available lower-limb exoskeleton. The validation results demonstrated the practical relevance and effectiveness of the newly developed instrument, as well as future refinement, in assessing subjective usability within the context of wearable robots. We anticipate that this new and comprehensive instrument will facilitate a systematic approach to understanding user perspectives prior to market launch, enabling a more iterative and user-responsive development process for wearable robots.