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Table 3 Exploratory factor analysis

From: A survey of stakeholder perspectives on exoskeleton technology

Exoskeleton design features

Factor 1 (Technology characteristics)

Factor 2 (Functional activities)

Purchase cost

0.778

 

Repair and maintenance cost

0.758

 

Comfort

0.701

-0.128

Ease of putting on and taking off the device

0.694

 

Minimizes risk of falling

0.659

-0.107

Amount of energy needed for use

0.659

 

Length of training to become proficient

0.509

 

Overall appearance

0.375

-0.107

Ability to climb stairs

-0.212

-0.855

Ability to carry out daily tasks while standing

 

-0.757

Ability to use to get in and out of a car

 

-0.731

Ability to walk on uneven surfaces

0.110

-0.672

Walking speed

 

-0.573

Ability to toilet

0.142

-0.495

Portability of the device

0.395

-0.471

Range of battery life

0.310

-0.459

Ability to use without arm crutches

0.171

-0.419

  1. Associations (i.e. loadings) of individual design features and the two factors (i.e. categories) are revealed through exploratory factor analysis. Higher numbers indicate a stronger association between the design feature (variable) and the factor, where > .71 are considered excellent, >.63 are considered very good, >.55 are considered good, and > .45 are considered fair. Values between -0.100 and 0.100 have been excluded from this table. These loadings allow the design features to be grouped into two major categories, where Factor 1 represents Technology Characteristics and Factor 2 represents Functional Activities. Italicized loading values indicate the factor which the design feature was grouped into.