Posted May 17, 2017

 

By: Seshadri Ramkumar

 

LUBBOCK, Texas – Virginia Tech and home improvement retailer Lowe’s have collaborated to develop a lift-assisting wearable exosuit.

 

The exosuit has been developed to help employees be comfortable and safe while lifting weights in stores. The prototype has been put to the test at a Lowe’s store in Christiansburg, Va.

 

The technology uses soft and flexible electronic elements, making the suit wearable.

 

Alan Asbeck, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech, along with a team of eight students, collaborated with Lowe’s Innovation Labs for this project.

 

The next phase of the project is to examine the physical effects of the suits, such as comfort, ease of use, etc.

 

Lowe’s is committed to explore opportunities to improve workplace environment, said Kyle Nel, executive director of Lowe’s Innovation Labs.

 

According to Joe Sirico, store manager at Lowe’s Christiansburg location, developing such technologies help to keep associates from being worn out.

 

More and more it is becoming apparent that innovations and applied developments in textiles cut across disciplines and come from non-traditional textile research powerhouses. Textiles truly lends into many multidisciplinary endeavors involving basic sciences, manufacturing technologies and electronics.

 

Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar, Ph.D, FTA (honorary), is a professor at the Nonwovens & Advanced Materials Laboratory at Texas Tech.

Virginia Tech, Lowe’s develop lift-assisting, wearable exosuit