China develops a self-lightening backpack

A team of Chinese researchers has developed a self-lightening backpack that allows users to carry heavy loads over long distances more easily. 

A typical backpack’s contents will move up and down as a person walks. Consequently, they exert more force on the bag, making it feel heavier.

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On the other hand, this weight-dampening or “floating” backpack has a special mechanism that steadies the load. As a result, users need less energy to carry loads.

A self-powered, self-lightening backpack

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) website reported more details regarding this unique innovation.

The self-lightening backpack has two sets of symmetrical constant-force mechanisms: springs and rotating rods. 

Moreover, it has a motor and an electromagnetic dampener that the former adjusts when necessary.

The dampener will counteract this weight shift as the bag’s contents approach its inner walls. Consequently, it will stop the load from hitting the backpack’s outer shell.

More importantly, this movement will generate energy that the dampening device will return to the motor. 

Yanhe Zhu, the vice director of the State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems at the Harbin Institute of Technology in China, elaborated on its significance:

“Only the microcontroller needs to be powered to control the [device’s transistors], while no additional electrical energy is required for the motor.”

He noted that this system is drastically more energy-efficient than others that actively power their motors.

IEEE added that a machine learning algorithm guides the self-lightening backpack. It learns how to counteract the inertial forces of the load as the user walks.

Tests revealed that wearers exerted over 11% less energy than when wearing an ordinary backpack.

“Additionally, when the user’s back bends, the system dynamically adjusts the load’s movement to prevent it from colliding with the end of the sliding rail,” said Zhu.

He believes this technology is a promising commercial product, so he and his team are exploring ways to bring it to market.

“Our next steps will involve integrating intelligent algorithms to enable the suspension backpack to adapt to a broader range of movement patterns, such as jumping.”