Specialty Fabrics Review December 2024 - 12

[ BRIEFS ] swatches
Research project spurs product
development, HeroWear startup
S
ometimes new products emerge from existing textile businesses, and
sometimes textile businesses emerge from new product ideas. For example,
the company HeroWear LLC, out of Nashville, Tenn., makes the Apex and
SABER soft exosuits for workers and the military respectively, and their initial
development happened in a Vanderbilt University lab.
Karl Zelik, Ph.D., an associate professor of engineering at the school, was
inspired in 2015 by his young children " who were taking a toll on his back, "
says Paul Nicholson, vice president of growth for HeroWear. " He challenged his
students to develop a supportive device that was as 'invisible as possible' that
could support his back while not getting in the way of day-to-day activities. "
Making the exosuit from textiles keeps it flexible so that workers can move
naturally while wearing it; light (3 pounds); and adjustable, allowing it to fit
people of all heights and body types. Textiles also allow it to be comfortable,
which is key for wearer buy-in.
Field research of prototypes with warehouse workers provided unfiltered
feedback that helped the team quickly identify issues, such as heat retention,
and decide on features to keep, such as flexibility, comfort and sizing.
Good reception from workers spurred interest from large companies and
military groups. " Our project developing an exosuit for the U.S. Army also
happened between the Apex [the original design] and Apex 2, " Nicholson says.
" They taught us a thing or two about durability! We incorporated those learnings
into the Apex 2 as well. "
Developing the commercial product began after the project was spun off
Real-world textile-based exosuits won't
make workers or soldiers into Iron Man,
but HeroWear is amassing studies that
show that the company's Apex 2 lowers
back strain and fatigue, thus enhancing
wearers' productivity. It was initially
designed at Vanderbilt University. Pictured
is the commercial version of the product.
The company has also developed a military
version called SABER. Images: HeroWear
into a private company. " We brought in experts in design for manufacturing and
in working with factories that could help us scale quickly, " he said. " Bringing in
experts who already knew how to tackle those problems was key. "
Some seed funding for the startup came from a program at the college called
Discovery Vanderbilt, which launched in October 2022. Additional startup funding
included Small Business Innovation and Research grants. The company licenses
the patents developed at the school.
The product won the Safety Innovation Challenge, given by the National
Safety Council in September.
12 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / December 2024

Specialty Fabrics Review December 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Specialty Fabrics Review December 2024

Specialty Fabrics Review December 2024 - Cover1
Specialty Fabrics Review December 2024 - Cover2
Specialty Fabrics Review December 2024 - 1
Specialty Fabrics Review December 2024 - 2
Specialty Fabrics Review December 2024 - 3
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