HeroWear's back-assist suit goes to the Royal Australian Air Force.
In August 2024 Australia's Defence department reported a new exosuit to help lighten the load. Vanderbilt University said the Royal Australian Air Force was rolling out hundreds of exosuits from HeroWear, its spin-off.
The suit
Apex is a passive, unpowered back-assist exosuit for lifting and bending.
Construction research
A study in the journal Ergonomics tested the suit on lab versions of construction tasks. It reduced back-muscle activity in short lifting and carrying tasks.
Why it matters
Large rollouts give unpowered suits real-world data that small pilots can't.
Sources
Source: engineering.vanderbilt.edu
Source: defence.gov.au
Source: tandfonline.com
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