Laboratory and field studies have each found evidence of less back muscle fatigue. One study found a reduction of 29-47% in back muscle fatigue, another measured a 28-75% increase in lifting endurance when wearing an exosuit.
Multiple peer-reviewed laboratory and field studies have found evidence of less back muscle fatigue and more user endurance when wearing an exosuit.
Two separate electromyography studies used the frequency content of back muscle activity to monitor the fatigue state of the muscles. One study from Vanderbilt University (Lamers 2020) found that the exosuit reduced back muscle fatigue rate by an average of 29-47% during sustained bending. A separate, third-party study from Iowa State University (Kim 2024) found that the Apex reduced back muscle fatigue rate by an average of 61%.
An independent, peer-reviewed 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). Another peer-reviewed Vanderbilt University field study on heavy lifting found that U.S. Army Soldiers increased their endurance by 28-75% when wearing an exosuit for repetitive heavy lifting (Rodzak 2024). Another independent study by Clemson University found that the Apex increased users’ self-rated maximum acceptable load by 7% when performing repetitive lifting, which provides further evidence of exosuit fatigue reduction using a psychophysical testing approach (Raghuraman 2024).
Yet another peer-reviewed study led by Brock University confirmed that the exosuit mitigated fatigue during a complex, repetitive warehouse palletizing task. This study found that people who wore the HeroWear Apex 2 exosuit exhibited less back muscle activity, perceived less exertion, and completed the task 6% faster. Across an 8-hour workday, this reduction in fatigue and increase in productivity was equivalent to 160 extra boxes shipped by each exosuit user (Ratke 2025).
Industry field trials provide strong corroborating evidence of endurance enhancement and fatigue reduction with the Apex. For example, in one industry-led study, Cargill reported its workers’ effort to lift at work decreased by about 25% when wearing the Apex (Brodie 2021). Field study data compiled by HeroWear from hundreds of workers wearing the Apex in their daily work, across various industries, have found similar reductions in lifting effort,—typically on the order of 20-40%. Apex testing completed by the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre provided further evidence. Their results indicated reduced downtime and reduced fatigue of workers wearing exosuits during typical construction tasks (CSIC 2022).
Finally, there is growing evidence from industry field studies that increased endurance and lower fatigue leads to higher productivity in certain jobs . See this Exosuit Productivity Case Study for more details.