Could a Robotic “Backpack” Replace Opioids to Relieve Lower Back Pain?

To combat the opioid crisis, BU researchers have designed a wearable exosuit system for people suffering from strokes or lower back pain. This suit aims to assist its users with their mobility and help them in activities such as heavy lifting. Lou Awad, who co-leads this research and is a Boston University Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences assistant professor of physical therapy briefly summarized the invention as “a pill you don’t swallow but wear instead.”  He believes that this “robotic technology has a lot of potential to enhance a physical therapist’s ability to assess and treat low back pain.” The work is funded by a five-year, $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health as part of its Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative (HEAL),

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