New Study Reveals Exosuits Increase Productivity, Worker Well-Being

New industry report released found that wearing an exoskeleton can increase productivity by 8 percent. HeroWear, a manufacturer specializing in soft, textile based exoskeletons called exosuits, partnered with an international grocery retailer to collect the research and presented its findings in a new case study now available online.

In addition to the productivity increases, additional key findings include:

• Workers reported a 30 percent reduction in work-related lower back discomfort;
• Workers said the effort required to do their job was reduced by 39 percent while wearing the exosuit; and
• 81 percent of workers expressed willingness to continue using the exosuits after the study was complete.

The study was conducted over a nine-week span with 40 employees, each fitted and trained on the HeroWear Apex 2 exosuit. Productivity was measured by cases picked per hour and tracked over one month. Nearly all employees who completed the study experienced an increase in productivity compared to their baseline and most reported feeling less fatigued.

HeroWear has also developed an online tool used to calculate the Apex 2 exosuit’s return on investment. The calculator factors in many elements, including expected reductions in injury rates, improvements in productivity, and improvements in recruiting and retention. In the case of warehouse workers like those in this study, an 8 percent improvement in productivity could allow the exosuit solution to pay for itself in less than 5 months, and reduce costs by $3,900 per worker per year in the first year of use.

For more information, visit https://herowearexo.com.