Why we dropped the batteries. 🔋

People sometimes ask me if we plan to add motors and batteries into the HeroWear exosuit.

Most are surprised to learn that we actually STARTED with motors, batteries, sensors, and even a phone app about 10 years ago.

And then got rid of them. All of them.

Our device evolution wasn't about adding complexity. It was about distilling the tech down to what was necessary, and what end users really wanted in the use cases we were targeting.

We didn't ditch the robotics and gadgetry because they weren't cool. They were!

Before HeroWear existed, our university prototypes and patents included a phone app, voice controls, and even an EMG armband to control assistance with different gestures.

Coolness factor was high. Engineers and media outlets loved the "advanced" tech and buzzworthiness!

But the harsh truth was that end-user enthusiasm was low.

Here's why we stripped out the complexity:

1️⃣ Customer feedback

Our earliest industrial customers were remarkably consistent. Several directly (and forcefully!) asked us to strip out the nice-to-haves and gadgetry.

They loved the back relief. But wanted something simpler, more reliable, and more durable.

2️⃣ Scalability

Even early on, customers were thinking about deploying hundreds or thousands of exosuits.

Charging batteries, maintaining robotics, managing an exo program, and overseeing data and cybersecurity all created barriers.

Today, powered industrial back exos cost ~10X more to deploy and sustain, depending on the device and use case. That makes widespread adoption and achieving ROI much harder.

3️⃣ Biomechanics

This realization came later, but was probably the final nail for us.

In our intended applications, passive elastic exosuits provided as much (or often more) musculoskeletal offloading than powered devices.

This surprises most people. But as the scientific literature on #exoskeletons grew, the evidence was clear.

It makes sense when you dig into the #biomechanics, timing of assistance, and weight distribution.

See the link below for more on the underlying physics and scientific evidence.

Anyway, that's been my journey. And it's shaped my design philosophy. Both in HeroWear and in other exploratory tech development projects at Vanderbilt.

There are many different applications for exos. Including or excluding motors isn't inherently better or worse.

But the complexity IS definitely better or worse for certain use cases.

I've spent the last decade learning a lot about the pros and cons, and honing my intuition for powered vs. passive, rigid vs. soft, and everything in between.

I'm more convinced than ever that exoskeletons and exosuits will become normalized in society.

At first, progress will seem gradual. Then it will seem fast. And eventually, it'll just be normal.

And a lot of people's health and well-being will benefit.

That's the future we're working toward.

And a little peek into how we arrived where we are today.

Cheers! 🍻