ArticleJournal of biomechanics2021
Evaluation of the HeroWear Apex back-assist exosuit during multiple brief tasks.
Article in Journal of biomechanics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 90 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Systematic Review of Industrial Exoskeletons for Injury Prevention: Efficacy Evaluation Metrics, Target Tasks, and Supported Body Postures.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Pooled it
- Integrating Evaluation into Exoskeleton Systems: A Model-Based Approach.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Musculoskeletal Modeling of a Hinge-Type Back-Support Exoskeleton: A Simplified Approach for Practical Assessment.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2026Article
- Short-Term Adaptations to Lifting and Gait Kinematics When Using a Passive Back-Support Exoskeleton.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2025Article
- Effects on muscular activity and usability of soft active versus rigid passive back exoskeleton during symmetric lifting tasks.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Design and Evaluation of a Sensor-Instrumented Clutch Mechanism for Quasi-Passive Back Exosuits.IEEE transactions on bio-medical engineering · 2025Article
- Biomechanical Effects of a Passive Back-Support Exosuit During Simulated Military Lifting Tasks-An EMG Study.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- A Review of Wearable Back-Support Exoskeletons for Preventing Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Preference-based assistance optimization for lifting and lowering with a soft back exosuit.Science advances · 2025Article
- The perceptual and biomechanical effects of scaling back exosuit assistance to changing task demands.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Elastic textile-based wearable modulation of musculoskeletal load: A comprehensive review of passive exosuits and resistance clothing.Wearable technologies · 2025Review
- A versatile knee exoskeleton mitigates quadriceps fatigue in lifting, lowering, and carrying tasks.Science robotics · 2024Article
- Training and Familiarization with Industrial Exoskeletons: A Review of Considerations, Protocols, and Approaches for Effective Implementation.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Can a Novel Light Weight Minimal Support Lifting Exoskeleton Modify Lifting Movement in People without Low Back Pain?Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Emerging Medical Technologies and Their Use in Bionic Repair and Human Augmentation.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Evaluating adaptiveness of an active back exosuit for dynamic lifting and maximum range of motion.Ergonomics · 2024Article
- Can back exosuits simultaneously increase lifting endurance and reduce musculoskeletal disorder risk?Wearable technologies · 2024Article
- Benchmarking commercially available soft and rigid passive back exoskeletons for an industrial workplace.Wearable technologies · 2024Article
- Development of an upper limb passive exosuit for the 2023 ASTM Exo Games.Frontiers in robotics and AI · 2024Article
- Reducing Back Exertion and Improving Confidence of Individuals with Low Back Pain with a Back Exosuit: A Feasibility Study for Use in BACPAC.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Trunk exoskeletons are wearable devices that support humans during physically demanding tasks by reducing biomechanical loads on the back. While most trunk exoskeletons are rigid devices, more lightweight soft exoskeletons (exosuits) have recently been developed. One such exosuit is the HeroWear Apex, which achieved promising results in the developers' own work but has not been independently evaluated. This paper thus presents an evaluation of the Apex with 20 adult participants during multiple brief tasks: standing up from a stool with a symmetric or asymmetric load, lifting a unilateral or bilateral load from the floor to waist level, lifting the same bilateral load with a 90-degree turn to the right, lowering a bilateral load from waist level to floor, and walking while carrying a bilateral load. The tasks were performed in an ABA-style protocol: first with exosuit assistance disengaged, then with it engaged, then disengaged again. Four measurement types were taken: electromyography (of the erector spinae, rectus abdominis, and middle trapezius), trunk kinematics, self-report ratings, and heart rate. The exosuit decreased the erector spinae electromyogram by about 15% during object lifting and lowering tasks; furthermore, participants found the exosuit mildly to moderately helpful. No adverse effects on other muscles or during non-lifting tasks were noted, and a decrease in middle trapezius electromyogram was observed for one task. This confirms that the HeroWear Apex could reduce muscle demand and fatigue. The results may transfer to other exoskeletons with similar design principles, and may inform researchers working with other wearable devices.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.