Laboratory and field studies have each found evidence of less back muscle fatigue and more user endurance when wearing an exosuit. A Vanderbilt study (Lamers 2020) used the frequency content of back muscle activity to monitor the fatigue state of the muscles, and found that an exosuit reduced back muscle fatigue rate by an average of 29-47% during sustained bending. Another Vanderbilt field study on heavy lifting found that most U.S. Army Soldiers increased their endurance by 25-75% when wearing an exosuit for repetitive lifting. An independent validation study by the University of Wyoming concluded that their empirical results on 20 participants “confirm that the HeroWear Apex could reduce muscle demand and fatigue” (Gorsic 2021). In one industry-led study, Cargill reported its workers’ effort to lift at work decreased by about 25% when wearing the Apex. Field study data compiled by HeroWear from 154 workers wearing the Apex in their daily work, across various industries, found similar reductions in lifting effort of 20-30%. Likewise, in Apex trials completed by the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, the results suggested reduced downtime and reduced fatigue of workers during typical construction tasks (CSIC 2022).
