Levionic

Full assembly
Stand-alone product
Winch view

Inspiration

Overexertion is one of the leading causes of workplace injuries, and back injuries account for the largest share of those cases. Nearly 65 million Americans report experiencing a recent episode of back pain, and 16 million adults (about 8% of the population) suffer from chronic back pain. Our goal is to reduce workplace injuries and improve quality of life by creating an accessible, effective solution that supports the back and reduces strain during lifting and repetitive motion tasks.

What it does

Levionic is a back-support exoskeleton that actively assists lifting using a motorized winch system, capable of supporting up to 25 pounds of load independently. An onboard inertial measurement unit detects body motion and lifting phases in real time, automatically engaging assistance when needed. It's fully adaptable and can attach to any harness, which enables use across industries including construction, manufacturing, and warehousing, unlike many existing exoskeletons that are limited to a proprietary harness. Levionic could also be built for over 15 times cheaper than its competitors, allowing practical large-scale investment (especially though its integration with other existing safety gear).

How we built it

Levionic uses a fully 3D printed structural frame with mechanical components designed in Onshape. We prototyped using the VEX Robotics ecosystem to move quickly, while keeping the final design simple so it can be built with widely available industrial and hobbyist components. The control system was programmed in C++ using the browser based VEXcode V5 IDE for real time sensor driven motor control.

Challenges we ran into

The limited power of the VEX motors required us to add more motors than originally planned, leading to multiple design iterations. Designing the system to attach to existing harnesses meant reducing the number of contact points to account for variations between harness designs, which we ultimately optimized to three stable attachment points. We also faced hardware constraints due to not having the correct battery charger, and had to improvise a solution using a benchtop power supply.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Our primary goal was to design an affordable back support exoskeleton compared to existing solutions on the market. We achieved this by creating a design that can be adapted to use widely available components with a total cost under 100 dollars. We are also proud of how easily Levionic attaches to existing harnesses. By using off the shelf carabiners, the system can clip onto harnesses used across different industries in seconds, including environments that require fall protection such as construction and warehouse work.

What we learned

Designing Levionic showed us how closely human movement and robotic assistance need to work together for a wearable system to feel natural and safe. We gained hands on experience combining mechanical design, embedded programming, and sensor based control into a single working system, while building a functional device that responds to real world human motion.

What's next for Levionic

The next step for this project is to design and build a final version of Levionic that can be produced and sold using consumer parts.

Component	Cost
12V geared DC brushed motor	$30
12V 20A brushed ESC	$10
Micro-controller (e.g. Arduino nano)	$3
IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) sensor	$3
3S(11.1V) 5500 mAh Li-Po battery	$16
3D Printed materials	$7
Aluminum shafts	$4
Paracord	$2
Carabiners	$4
Total	$85