SafeLift: Textile exoskeleton with motor from Verve Motion

The SafeLift exosuit, which grew out of research at Harvard University's Biodesign Lab, uses inertial measurement sensors woven into the suit to detect motion and trigger the hardware to provide up to 240 N of assist force during lifting. The sensors also collect motion data that identifies risky and unsafe postures and provide clear, actionable reports to individual workers and supervisors through an online portal. The suit's controller can switch between different assist modes so it remains unobtrusive during non-lifting operations and activities (e.g., climbing a ladder or driving a forklift).

SafeLift is our soft powered exosuit designed and built for workers who need to repeatedly lift boxes, packages or other heavy objects. Donning this lightweight, flexible exosuit takes 30 seconds and reduces injuries 5-fold by reducing up to 40 % of a worker's load during repetitive lifting. Lifting Support: Provides up to 240N of lifting support that relieves up to 40 % of an object's weight each time it is lifted, reducing fatigue and strain on a worker's back and lowering injury rates by up to 80 %. One-size-fits-all: Soft and flexible, the 6.5-lb exosuit dons in 30 seconds and fits most people from 5 feet 0 inches (1.5 m) -> 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) with 8 adjustment points. XS -> XXL Safety Portal: Integrated sensors, combined with advanced analytics, identify risky or unsafe movements and provide clear, actionable reports to individual workers and supervisors through an online portal.

Wearable robotics startup Verve Motion, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has raised $15 million in a Series A funding round. The company is pioneering a new class of connected wearable technology for the industrial sector by integrating robotics into functional clothing. It was launched in 2020 by a multidisciplinary team of experts in robotics, movement science and apparel design from Professor Conor Walsh's lab at Harvard University. The funding follows a highly successful pilot project with ADUSA's supply chain network, in which Verve deployed its first SafeLift "exosuit" for key food distribution workers to improve worker health and safety. SafeLift is a lightweight, software-enabled wearable solution that combines real-time motion detection with robotic assistance in a comfortable and ergonomic form factor to empower and protect industrial workers. Combining the power of a machine, the comfort of clothing and the ergonomics of elite athletic wear, it adapts to a worker's tasks, movements and speeds, providing support only when needed, reducing the strain on a worker's back by 30-40 % during a typical workday. It also has a battery life of more than 12 hours and requires no complex integration. The technology not only relieves the strain on a worker's body, but is also connected to the cloud and AI-enabled to provide automated ergonomics analytics that give industry leaders valuable insights to improve worker safety.