The National Safety Council (NSC) announced the winner of its Safety Innovation Challenge during the closing keynote at the 2024 NSC Safety Congress & Expo held in Orlando, Florida. The top honor was awarded to HeroWear and the Apex 2 exosuit. This marks another win for the company, which has often been featured in the news recently, and a significant recognition for the entire exoskeleton industry. HeroWear won by a vote of audience and safety professionals, beating out two finalists (ErgoSanté, also an exosuit producer, and Mãku Safe, an analytics provider). This recognition marks a significant step forward for wearable robotics and exoskeleton technology, reinforcing their impact on enhancing workplace safety.
The NSC Safety Innovation Challenge aims to bring together business leaders and safety innovators to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Historically, NSC has had a keen interest in all ergonomic solutions that can achieve this through the lens of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0. Their report, Emerging Technologies for Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (link), groups exoskeletons with computer vision, wearable sensors, autonomous material handling equipment, and extended reality as innovative technologies that can improve worker well-being while also adding to an organization’s bottom line.
As the winner, HeroWear will receive a one-year subscription to NSC’s Tech Hub Marketplace company directory and priority benefits via the NSC’s MSD Solutions Lab’s Pilot Grant Program (which was covered in an earlier article: Grant Opportunity for An Organization to Pilot Exosuits to Reduce MSDs in the Workplace).
A Major Win for Exoskeleton Adoption: This victory underscores the growing recognition of exoskeletons as a viable solution for reducing workplace injuries, especially in industries with high rates of back injuries (if it is a tool or PPE should be a discussion for another day). That two of the three finalists were an exoskeleton producer also speaks volumes! The NSC’s endorsement is a critical step toward mainstream adoption of this technology across various sectors, including construction, manufacturing, and logistics. It is a vote of confidence that exoskeletons can mitigate risks of musculoskeletal injuries by offering assistance in lifting, carrying, and repetitive motions as intended.
“Since the first day we started working on the suit back in 2017 and 2018 at Vanderbilt University, the goal has been to make them as invisible as possible, and to make it compatible with work so as many people as possible can use it,” said HeroWear Vice President of Growth Paul Nicholson, who showed off the exoskeleton suit’s key features. He also commented on the wide range of workers that can wear the Apex 2 during a Q&A panel with all the finalists: “That [modular design] lets us fit a very wide range of users,” Nicholson said. “We’ve fit people over 7-foot-5, over 350 pounds, and we’ve fit people under 5-feet tall and under 80 pounds.”
NSC is an influential organization. Its website has massive traffic and is a central depot for helpful ergonomics information. Therefore, this win will likely be recognized and move the needle on industrial exoskeleton adoption in North America. Congratulations to HeroWear and ErgoSanté on representing the exoskeleton industry and making it to the finals!
Original Announcement:
NSC crowns winner of Safety Innovation Challenge, September 18, 2024, https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/25968-nsc-crowns-winner-of-safety-innovation-challenge
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