The most common injuries encountered by healthcare workers, caregivers for the elderly, or those who routinely lift heavy objects are 'lower back pain'. If left untreated, chronic pain can have serious consequences, affecting one's quality of life. The National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), through the National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC), in collaboration with partners, has designed and developed the 'Ross' Motion-assist Exosuit, Back Support model. This suit helps protect the user's back muscles by controlling body movements during heavy lifting and offering crucial muscle support.
Users wear the Ross suit, adjusting it snugly around four muscle areas: the chest, back, waist, and thighs. The suit helps control the user's lifting movements in a suitable position or 'Squat' stance, where the user bends their knees, keeps their back straight, tenses their stomach, and uses the strength of their arms and legs to lift objects. The suit prevents users from lifting with a hunched posture, relying on their back strength, as this stance risks back muscle injury. When lifting, the body will flex the suit, which has an internal structure resembling a 'V' spring, with a pivot at the waist and ends at the chest and thighs. This creates energy storage to push the body back into a standing position, boosting various muscle strengths and reducing injury risks to the wearer. Furthermore, the suit is designed for quick and convenient wear, so users don't have to put it on in advance to prepare for work.
The Ross Back Support Exosuit is designed for high efficiency and durability, while still maintaining a lightweight at approximately 3-4 kilograms. This reduction in production cost makes the prototype product price 3-4 times cheaper than foreign-made products. It is expected that expanding production to an industrial scale will further reduce costs.
Data updated on June 1, 2023
Source: National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA)
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