INNOPHYS’ new lightweight exoskeleton suits made with BASF Ultramid enhance user experience and comfort
- “Muscle Suit® Every” made with BASF’s high-performance polyamide provides support to reduce physical stress on workers
- Ultramid’s excellent mechanical properties ensure robustness and functionality of exoskeleton suit
Tokyo, Japan – November 1, 2019 – INNOPHYS CO., LTD (“INNOPHYS”), a leading exoskeleton company based in Japan, today launched “Muscle Suit® Every”, a lightweight exoskeleton suit made with BASF’s high-performance material solution, Ultramid® polyamide (PA). Thanks to the excellent mechanical properties of BASF’s Ultramid, workers can now enjoy safer and improved experience, without compromise to the robustness and functionality of the exoskeleton suits.
While exoskeleton suits provide workers lower back support for tasks such as heavy lifting, reducing the weight of the suit would help to further ease the strain on users. “Our users need exoskeleton suits that are lighter and more affordable. With BASF Ultramid, we can significantly improve their experience by reducing the weight of each unit while achieving cost targets with the injection molding process,” said Takashi Furukawa, CEO, INNOPHYS.
“Back pain or disorders can affect not only our ability to work but can also have a great impact on our private life. Together with INNOPHYS, we are proud to be part of the solution to tackle this problem for the many people who are being affected globally,” Tony Jones, Head, Industrial, Business Management, Performance Materials Asia Pacific, BASF. Worldwide, more than 540 million people are suffering from back pain[1].
In addition to material solutions, BASF worked with INNOPHYS to re-design multiple components into a single component produced by injection molding, therefore simplifying assembly processes and optimizing production costs. The recyclability of Ultramid also helps to make Muscle Suit® Every even more environmentally friendly for a better future.
Exoskeleton suits provide support and protection for workers in various fields such as manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, and nursing care.
[1] The Lancet: Low back pain affects 540 million people worldwide, but too many patients receive the wrong care, 21-Mar-2018
