Walking With a Backpack Using Load Distribution and Dynamic Load Compensation Reduces Metabolic Cost and Adaptations to Loads

In this study, we showed a way of reducing the metabolic cost of walking with a backpack using load distribution and dynamic load compensation, provided by a wearable upper body device. This device distributes the backpack load between the shoulders and the pelvis, senses the vertical motion of the pelvis, and provides gait synchronized compensatory forces to reduce the dynamic loads from a backpack. It was hypothesized that by reducing dynamic loads from a backpack during load carriage, the user's gait and postural adaptation, muscular effort and metabolic cost would be reduced. This hypothesis was supported by biomechanical and physiological measurements on a group of young healthy subjects, as they walked on a treadmill under four different conditions: unloaded; with a backpack, loaded with 25% of their body weight, supported on the shoulders; with the same load distributed between the shoulders and the pelvis; and with dynamic load compensation in addition to load distribution. The results showed reductions in gait and postural adaptations, muscle activity, vertical and braking ground reaction forces, and metabolic cost while carrying the same backpack load with the device. We conclude that the device can potentially reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries and muscle fatigue associated with carrying heavy backpack loads while reducing the metabolic cost of loaded walking.