a prototype of an
exosuit employees
could wear to help
make lifting products
easier.
“Over the past cou-
ple of years, human
assistive devices have
become an area of
interest,” Asbeck
said. “Our technol-
ogy is different in
that it includes soft
and flexible elements,
and our approach is
unique in that we are
putting our proto-
types in a real-world
environment for an
extended period of
time.”
Asbeck, along with
four undergraduate
and four graduate
students in the
Assistive Robotics Laboratory, has since been design-
ing a soft, lightweight exosuit intended to reduce the
fatigue some Lowe’s employees may experience while
on the job, which frequently requires lifting and
moving heavy or bulky products. As the user bends
and stands back up, the suit’s carbon fiber legs act
like a bow and arrow, storing the user’s energy then
returning it to them. This helps the user spring back
up with greater ease.
The first four suits are currently in use by the
stocking team at the Christiansburg store.
“As a way to support our employees, we found a
unique opportunity to collaborate with Virginia
Tech to develop one of the first retail applica-
tions for robotic exosuits,” said Kyle Nel, exec-
utive director of Lowe’s Innovation Labs, which
launched the exosuit project as a way to make
working in stores easier and more efficient, there-
by improving employee well-being and customer
service.
For Lowe’s Christiansburg store manager Joe Sirico,
employee safety during those everyday tasks is a top
priority, making the debut of the exosuits in his store
a welcome opportunity.
Sirico, who recently moved to the New River Valley
from the Washington, D.C., area, said he was look-
ing forward to a partnership with Virginia Tech.
“This project really pairs a company like ours that
has been doing business and has been a part of this
community for many, man y years with an institution
like Tech, and takes those two worlds and smashes
them together, and we both come out stronger,”
Sirico said.
Following the initial pilot program, Lowe’s will sur-
vey the impact of the program and look for oppor-
tunities to scale up. Meanwhile, in Asbeck’s lab, the
team will continue developing the technology and
look for additional applications.
“My objective from day one is to make it work for
Lowe’s,” Asbeck said. “Beyond that, my primary con-
cern is always getting research into the real world and
being as useful to society as possible.”
Asbeck was recently awarded the Interdisciplinary
Rehabilitation Engineering Career Development
Program’s Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences
training grant, a $135,000 award that will fund
Asbeck’s further study in exoskeleton use, particularly
for rehabilitation. Previously, Asbeck was funded by
the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to
develop a soft exosuit for soldiers that assists human
motion.
Our approach is unique in that
we are putting our prototypes in
a real-world environment for an
extended period of time
Alan Asbeck