Currently, 6% of occupational illnesses are low back pain, and various auxiliary devices are being developed to reduce the workload of workers.Devices that use actuators such as motors and pneumatics that reduce the burden of stretching the waist when bending over and lifting objects are heavy and difficult to wear for a long time, and are expensive.In addition, many auxiliary suits that use rubber or springs assist only the waist, and once worn, it is difficult to adjust by themselves, and if worn for a long time, it may become rather tiring, so it is not widely used.

　Therefore, Professor Tanaka and his colleagues have developed an auxiliary suit "ezUP / Easy Up" that has sleeves on the upper body and a belt on the lower body from the back to the soles of the feet.The burden on the arms as well as the waist can be reduced, and it can be worn in about 1 minute.Due to its light weight, it can be worn for a long time and can be widely used in all scenes such as logistics, construction sites, factory lines, farm work, and nursing care.Wearing this auxiliary suit reduces the maximum muscle activity of the biceps and erector spinae muscles during lifting by about 3 to 5%.The square cloth on the back is deformed, and when one of the diagonals is stretched, the other shrinks, flexibly responding to asymmetrical movements.In addition, the two layers of elastic cloth with different lengths act only on the soft first layer when the waist is bent a little, and the second layer is activated when the waist is bent deeply, so that the spinal column is gradually strengthened. Assists the erector spinae muscles.

　In the future, with the cooperation of Hino Motors, the auxiliary suit "ezUP / Easy Up" will be used at the Hamura Plant during actual work and will be evaluated on the actual line. It is scheduled to go on sale in January 2019.

Reference: [Waseda University] Auxiliary suit that can be worn in 1 minute and reduces the burden on the arms as well as the waist