Wearable spine-and-hip support to reduce low back pain during lifting
SCH: Spine-Hip Exoskeletons with Learning-Based Optimal Control for Low Back Pain Alleviation
This project is developing a soft, powered wearable for the spine and hips that uses smart control to help workers who lift heavy objects reduce low back strain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | North Carolina State University Raleigh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Raleigh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11177763 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you do lifting work, researchers are building a soft, powered device that wraps around the spine and hips to help share load during bending and lifting. The team will design mechanics-guided hardware, create detailed computer models of the human spine, and use learning-based control so the device adapts to different tasks. Participants would come to lab sessions where sensors measure muscle activity and spinal loads while trying the device. The goal is to lower muscle and spinal forces during real-world lifting to prevent low back injuries in workers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are workers who regularly lift or carry heavy loads and who are at risk for or already experience mechanical low back pain.
Not a fit: People whose back pain is primarily from non-mechanical causes (for example inflammatory disease or nerve disorders), those unable to wear a wearable device, or those with certain spinal implants or severe deformities may not benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lower back muscle and spinal loading during lifting and reduce the risk of work-related low back injuries.
How similar studies have performed: Some lifting exoskeletons have reduced muscle strain in prior studies, but spine-focused soft exoskeletons with learning-based adaptive control are relatively new and not yet widely proven in real-world worker populations.
Where this research is happening
Raleigh, United States
- North Carolina State University Raleigh — Raleigh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Su, Hao — North Carolina State University Raleigh
- Study coordinator: Su, Hao
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.