Balancerator: waist-only load test

waist-only test: 45 min, 44.452 N, awkward arms + waist fatigue
weight placement matters a lot more than just total mass. shoulders next? legs first in the notes

protocol: wear the initial device while walking for 45 minutes; combine qualitative comfort observations with the recorded force on the support points.

recorded result: waist load 44.452 N. The notebook reports waist fatigue and restricted/awkward arm movement. A low enough total mass is therefore not the only requirement: where the load enters the body and whether the mechanism interferes with movement also matter.

Waist-only load distribution.

Waist-support placement.

design response: add contact points to distribute load. Legs are the first alternative considered, followed by shoulders in the subsequent entries.

review questions: retain wearer dimensions, walking activity and strap placement alongside the force value. The notebook does not provide a calibrated force-sensor setup or enough measurements to generalize comfort to another population.