PowerGrasp – A Soft Robotic Assistive System

The PowerGrasp project focused on developing a wearable soft-robotic system designed to support the arm, shoulder, and hand, helping to reduce physical strain on assembly workers and prevent musculoskeletal disorders caused by repetitive tasks.

To ensure the system was practical and met actual user needs, the project followed a participatory design approach. Workshops with potential users and experts helped identify key requirements, constraints, and design considerations. A specially developed bodystorming toolkit allowed participants to prototype and visualize concepts on their own bodies, simulating real movement patterns to highlight potential challenges and refine system preferences.

The insights gathered from these sessions informed the system’s functionality, design, and user interaction. Early low-fidelity prototypes allowed for material exploration, movement testing, and early identification of possible issues.

By the end of the project, in collaboration with project partners, a working demonstrator of the assistive soft-robotic system was developed, providing a foundation for further refinement and potential implementation in industrial settings.

The PowerGrasp research project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. More information about the funding and the participating partners can be found here.