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
About INNOPHYS
The name INNOPHYS is derived from the word “Innovation for Physical Support”, which means to bring about innovations to support people's lives. The company was founded as a venture company from Tokyo University of Science with the aspiration that “We want to realize a world in which all people live independent lives as long as they live”. The company began selling muscle suits in 2014 and has shipped more than 4,000 units (as of April 2019), making them a major hit in the assist suit industry, which has been booming in recent years. For more information on INNOPHYS, visit https://innophys.jp/en/overview/.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 122,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €63 billion in 2018. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.
