One in four U.S. workers experiences low back pain every year with $8 billion in direct costs to employers.
A recent project out of the Agile Robotics Lab at The University of Alabama aims to reduce the risk of low back pain using tensegrity robotics, which uses a balance of tension and compression to achieve strong yet flexible structures.
Working together, College of Engineering Assistant Professor Dr. Vishesh Vikas and his former doctoral student Cole Woods have developed a bioinspired exosuit that works in harmony with human biomechanics by mimicking the muscle-tendon-bone arrangement of the spinal column.
Watch the Second Spine Exosuit in Action
Second Spine by TANDEM is a lightweight, battery-free, custom-fit personal protection equipment for the spine that improves worker health by providing support and reducing muscle fatigue.
The project has led to Woods and Vikas founding their company, TANDEM. They said the applications for the device are diverse — ranging from occupational worker safety in industrial settings to patient rehabilitation.
With the help of Vikas, Woods has built what he calls Second Spine by Tandem. The device uses synthetic vertebrae and elastic cables that attach to a user’s back, shoulders and thighs. This lightweight exosuit mimics the movement of the spine and distributes the weight from the back, allowing the wearer to lift more weight with less fatigue.
Woods and Vikas say the applications for the device are potentially endless, such as aiding those recovering from injuries or surgeries or supporting workers in industrial settings.