For backpackers, it’s a treat to escape civilization and traverse the woods, enjoying the ruggedness of the great outdoors. But carrying that heavy backpack for days can undoubtedly be a drag.
One group of researchers in China has designed a new backpack that accounts for the inertial forces of the bag against a backpacker’s body as the person walks, reducing the metabolic power demand on the user by an average of 11 percent. Their design is described in a study published 27 July in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.
Caihua Xiong, a professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, notes that his team designed the motorized backpack with two different modes. In its passive mode, two symmetrically arranged elastic ropes balance the weight of load within the backpack. When the user turns on the system’s active mode, a rotary motor regulates the acceleration of load. The backpack, which weighs 5.3 kilograms, was designed to carry loads up to 30 kg.
In experiments with seven similarly sized men, the motorized backpack in active mode reduced the load acceleration by 98.5 percent on average. This resulted in that 11 percent dip in power demand on the user. The power savings in passive mode came in at 8 percent on average.
Xiong says he is interested in commercializing the product, but aims to first explore ways of improving the system for different walking speeds and terrains. —MICHELLE HAMPSON
A version of this article appears on our website in the Journal Watch section.