herowearexo.com

What It Is

HeroWear is an industrial exoskeleton company focused on manual labor environments. Its core product, Apex 2, is a soft back-assist exosuit designed for roles that involve repeated bending and lifting, such as warehousing, logistics, distribution centers, and manufacturing. Its goal is not to replace workers, but to reduce strain on the back like “artificial back muscles,” helping lower fatigue and the risk of workplace injuries.

Core Capabilities

The main strengths of Apex 2 are its lightweight design and low complexity: it weighs about 3 pounds, has no motors or batteries, and emphasizes comfort, easy donning and doffing, and minimal interference with work tasks. The company reports typical results including a 40% reduction in back strain and fatigue, a 5%-15% increase in productivity, and a potential 5-10x ROI. In one case study, after deployment across four U.S. distribution centers, customers accumulated 281,000 hours of use and reported zero back injuries, along with a 25% reduction in work-related effort and a 20% reduction in fatigue. Enterprise services also include virtual training, on-site training, size exchanges, cleaning and storage, and task-tool consulting.

Pricing

Pricing information is relatively clear. In the U.S., a single Apex 2 unit costs $1,499; the 10-user BASIC package is $14,990, the 25-user STARTER package is $37,475, the 50-user STANDARD package is $74,950, and pricing for 100+ users is available upon request. Large enterprise customers may be able to access Exo-as-a-Service for under $99 per user per month. The research institution kit is $4,499 plus shipping, while the home user version is $1,499 plus shipping.

Pros and Cons

The advantages are its clear product focus and strong fit for lifting scenarios with high injury-related costs. Its unpowered design reduces the burden of charging, maintenance, and training. Enterprise packages include training and support, which helps with scaled deployment. The drawbacks are that it is not a traditional SaaS or enterprise software product, and the reviewed materials do not show a data platform, permission system, APIs, third-party integrations, or compliance certifications. Performance data mainly comes from vendor-disclosed case studies, so companies still need to validate results against their own working conditions.

Who It’s For and Access in China

HeroWear is best suited for EHS and operations teams in warehousing and logistics, manufacturing, retail back-of-house operations, and similar environments with frequent bending and lifting, especially companies looking to reduce workers’ compensation costs and employee turnover. Access in China, as well as local distribution and delivery arrangements, were not disclosed in the text and should be considered unknown.