Withforce A10 Brings Relief to Workers Lifting Heavy Loads

Back pain is a familiar problem for anyone who spends their days lifting and bending, and it is one of the most common reasons for workplace injuries worldwide. Farm workers are especially at risk. A typical harvest involves carrying baskets weighing 20–30 kilograms, often repeated hundreds of times in a single day. Traditional advice is to “lift with your legs,” but in real life posture is hard to control, and mechanical lifting equipment is too bulky to follow workers into the fields, especially as they age. The result is fatigue, chronic pain, and lost productivity.

Withforce A10 sets out to solve this problem with a lightweight robotic vest that assists the lower back during heavy labor. The device weighs just 3.3 kg but can deliver up to 25 kg of assistive force, reducing back strain by as much as 35% in biomechanical tests. Farmers who tried it in Korea’s Jeju Island described the difference as “huge” after repeating dozens of lifts, confirming that the benefit becomes obvious once fatigue sets in (and the risk of injury increases).

The A10 uses a patented Linear Muscle Actuator (LMA) built from over 200 strands of shape-memory alloy (SMA) springs. Unlike motorized exoskeletons, which are powerful but heavy, these springs contract when heated by an electrical current and relax when cooled. By splitting the force across many fine strands, the system maximizes surface area for faster heating and cooling, enabling it to sustain repeated movements. The full assistive pull builds up in about 1.4 seconds, which matches the natural pace of farm work while keeping the risk of sudden, jerky movements low.

Control is handled by a set of force-sensitive resistors and motion sensors built into the vest straps. These detect when a user leans forward and predict whether they are about to lift. An AI model, trained on data from over 100 test subjects, decides whether to activate the actuator and how much force to apply. A posture-scoring system even nudges workers toward safer squat lifts instead of harmful stoop lifts, offering guidance without restricting movement. This is a very difficult problem to solve.

Traditionally, exosuits fall into two camps: motorized, with strong but heavy systems, or passive, with elastic bands that provide only limited help. Withforce’s SMA approach combines the advantages of both. It is powerful enough to matter, but light and flexible enough to wear during a full day’s work. The battery is a standard 40V Makita tool battery, capable of lasting approximately four hours, and can be swapped in just seconds. Cooling fans regulate the springs, while the vest itself is modular and adjustable, built for outdoor durability with IP42 protection.

Behind the A10 is Withforce Inc., a Korean startup founded in 2023 as the first spin-off from Hyundai Mobis. The team includes veterans from Hyundai, Samsung, LG, and GM, and is positioning itself as a specialist in wearable robotics. After debuting its PSP 1.0 model with Hyundai Mobis’ U.S. plant in Georgia, Withforce refined its design based on feedback that “big American guys” wanted more force. The A10 now targets agriculture first, but the company already has warehouse and logistics pilots planned, with longer-term ambitions in construction and even military applications.

For now, the challenge is affordability. Withforce compares the price of an A10 to that of a “nice bicycle,” which is out of reach for most individual farmers. Instead, the company is exploring leasing programs through governments and distributors. In Jeju, the local government is testing the idea of lending A10 units directly to farmers, while in Germany, partners are preparing rental programs.

From a product demo perspective, the A10 is refreshingly easy to understand. Put it on, lift a basket, and feel the difference in your back. The technology inside may be sophisticated—200 proprietary alloy strands, AI posture recognition, modular ergonomics—but its value proposition is as simple as it gets: heavy work without heavy strain.