Lowe's Hardware Employees Testing Exoskeletons to Aid Lifting

[berkeman]

Pretty neat. Lowe's is equiping some employees with these exoskeletons to help them lift in their jobs with less overall strain on their backs. Virginia Tech is working with Lowe's on the design and testing of the exoskeleton "uniforms".

http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/15/technology/lowes-exosuit/index.html?iid=ob_homepage_tech_pool

The suit also includes attached carbon-fiber shafts that run down a person's back and thighs. The shafts flex and store energy as a person bends over to pick something up. When the employee stands, the rods straighten and the energy releases, making the task easier. The process is similar to how a bow releases energy when an arrow is launched.

Lowe's developed the exoskeleton in partnership with Virginia Tech engineering professor Alan Asbeck. For years, engineers have tinkered with exoskeletons and exoskeletons as a way to augment human abilities with extra mechanical powers.

 

[jedishrfu]

Wow!

 

[RogueOne]

Thats fascinating to me purely because this design looks practical. There have been many exoskeleton suits made, but this is the only one that I can visualize being used beyond a research level.