POTSDAM — A Clarkson University research team is seeking firefighters to participate in a posture and motion study.

Clarkson University Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Michael Bazzocchi and his team are seeking participants for a research study which will record and understand the posture of firefighters while they perform functional tasks.

Career and volunteer firefighters in the age range 18 to 99 are all eligible.

The study will enable Bazzocchi and his team to design exoskeleton suits that provide support during task performance on the fireground.

Participants will receive a $50 Amazon gift card upon completion.

The study will take two hours during a single visit.

Participants will complete a consent form prior to the experiment.

Next, a few anthropometric measurements will be taken.

During the experiment, participants will wear an Xsens Awinda motion capture suit that comprises 17 Inertial measurement units (IMUs).

Round one of the experiment will start after the system calibration and the recording of five walking gait cycles.

Five functional tasks will be recorded in the first round, and each task will be repeated five times.

The same process will be followed in the second round while wearing an additional weighted jacket with an equivalent weight to bunker gear.

Those interested in participating can fill out the following brief online form and will be contacted when a study session is being scheduled: https://forms.gle/ssr55fvfQzuR8cbr8

For more information, contact Dr. Michael Bazzocchi at mbazzocc@clarkson.edu or 315-268-7612.

The Clarkson IRB approval number for this study is 21-63.1 and the contact information for the Clarkson IRB office is irb@clarkson.edu via email, and (315) 268-3764 via phone.