MOORESVILLE, N.C., May 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lowe's and
Virginia Tech have joined forces to develop an exosuit—a wearable robotic suit with lift-assist
technology— for Lowe's store employees. Currently in pilot at Lowe's Christiansburg, Va. store,
the lightweight exosuit is designed to support employees by helping them lift and move product through the store more
efficiently, to aid against muscle fatigue that can result from repetitive motion.
"Our employees ensure our stores are always ready for customers," said Kyle Nel, executive
director of Lowe's Innovation Labs, the company's disruptive technology hub. "As a way to support them, we found a unique
opportunity to collaborate with Virginia Tech to develop one of the first retail applications for
assistive robotic exosuits."
As part of Lowe's Innovation Lab's narrative-driven approach, the team works with science fiction writers to envision the
future, using storytelling as inspiration for innovative initiatives. The Lab envisioned a future where the use of technology
could provide special superpowers to employees and maximize performance. To bring this narrative to life, Lowe's engaged Dr.
Alan Asbeck, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and a team of eight graduate and undergraduate students from Virginia Tech's Assistive Robotics
Laboratory.
Together, Lowe's and Virginia Tech designed and developed an exosuit prototype after months of lab
testing. The outcome was a light-weight wearable exosuit that reinforces proper lifting form, and is intended to make lifting
heavy objects easier. The exosuit is designed to accomplish this by absorbing energy and delivering it back to the user, enabling
them to exert less force to complete certain movements. As they bend and stand, carbon fiber in the suit's legs and back act like
a taut bow ready to launch an arrow, helping them spring back up with greater ease. As a result, commonly lifted objects, like a
bag of concrete or a five-gallon bucket of paint, feels significantly lighter to the user.
"Over the past couple years, human assistive devices have become an area of interest," Asbeck said. "But, our technology is
different, not only because of the suit's soft, flexible elements, but because we're putting the prototype in a real world
environment for an extended period of time."
The first four suits are currently in use by the stocking team at the Christiansburg store.
During the coming months, Asbeck and his team will work with Lowe's to assess the physical impact of the suit. Lowe's will also
lead employee engagement studies to better understand the impact of the exosuit on the work experience.
About Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company serving more than 17 million
customers a week in the United States, Canada and
Mexico. With fiscal year 2016 sales of $65.0 billion, Lowe's and its related businesses
operate or service 2,365 home improvement and hardware stores and employ over 290,000 people. Founded in 1946 and based in
Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's supports the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12
public education and community improvement projects. For more information, visit Lowes.com.
About Virginia Tech
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their
fields and communities. As the commonwealth's most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a
research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming
knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and
across Virginia.
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SOURCE Lowe's Companies, Inc.