NSF Convergence Accelerator Bio-Inspired Design Innovations: Tensegrity-based Exosuits that Complement Human Biomechanics (TANDEM)

The project TANDEM will advance Second Spine technology to enhance worker health, safety, and productivity. Second Spine is a bioinspired passive back-support exosuit that is lightweight, strong, and offers assistance without restricting mobility. The project will synergize product development, user engagement, and policy alignment to create a sustainable pathway for widespread adoption of Second Spine.

It will promote equity by ensuring advanced exosuit technologies are accessible and affordable to all workers, irrespective of their socioeconomic status. Furthermore, it will enhance workforce access by enabling individuals with physical limitations to participate in labor-intensive jobs and foster a more variable and adaptable workforce. Specifically, TANDEM will profoundly impact aging workers as they will be able to continue contributing without compromising their well-being.

The project will build trust by promoting transparency and public engagement via education and workforce development activities. The insights from the project will lead to an exosuit technology that can reduce the chance of occupational injuries in American workers performing demanding and/or repetitive tasks. Additionally, it will contribute to the standardization of exosuit design and performance metrics to help establish industry-wide benchmarks.

This technology leverages the engineering principles of tensegrity to mimic the muscle-tendon-bone arrangement of the human spine. Key deliverables and milestones will include development of Second Spine product, its digital twin, and in-lab and in-field performance evaluations; exosuit adoption and safety best practices; exosuit risk assessment tool; supply chain management model; and policy and workforce outreach workshops.

The project goals will broadly focus on (a) improving user comfort and biomechanical harmony by incorporating different design concepts; (b) improving personalization, task assistance, predictive maintenance, design and innovation, and achieving cost savings and sustainability; (c) assessing effectiveness of Second Spine by analyzing multiple factors including working performance, effectiveness in work environments; (d) engaging with key stakeholders to contribute to discussions on integrating new technologies, like exosuits and exoskeletons, within existing safety regulations; (e) organizing workshops to explore the use of emerging technologies in occupational safety and health.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.