Super-suits for back-pain sufferers? Smart underwear coming to the rescue

NASHVILLE — Back pain is an excruciating fixture in millions of lives, but Vanderbilt University engineers are developing something that might be able to prevent it: smart underwear.

They are developing a device, designed to be worn under regular clothing, that would activate elastic bands to relieve stress on back muscles when people are doing physical tasks. The project is supported by funding from Vanderbilt, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, according to a statement from the university.

Karl Zelik, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt and the lead investigator on the project, said he started thinking about wearable solutions to back pain because he suffered from it himself after repeatedly picking up his young son.

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“I’m sick of Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne being the only ones with performance-boosting super-suits. We, the masses, want our own,” Zelik said in the university statement. “The difference is that I’m not fighting crime. I’m fighting the odds that I’ll strain my back this week trying to lift my 2-year-old.”

Zelik led the research that ultimately led to the smart underwear, lightweight material that straps around the legs, chest and back. Users can activate it by tapping their shirts or using an app.

Eight people tested the device by leaning forward and lifting 25-pound and 55-pound weights in different poses, the university said. Zelik’s team found that the device reduced activity in lower back muscles by an average of 15% to 45%, according to the statement.

The device was unveiled last week and will be on display at an American Society of Biomechanics conference later this month, according to Vanderbilt.

Dr. Aaron Yang, a co-investigator on the project who treats back and neck pain at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said in the university statement that the device could help people prevent back pain before it occurs by reducing stress on the lower back.

Yang said this device stands out in a crowded field of belts and back braces because it is rooted in proven research.

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