The effect of a backpack with Anti-Gravity System (AGS) on easing the shoulders’ pressure

Purposes: To evaluate the effect of a backpack with Anti-Gravity System (AGS) on decreasing the shoulder pressure. Methodology: 15 males subjects aged 20 to 31, carried three types of backpacks (control, old-AGS version, new AGS-version) with 6.9kg loads. Interface force sensor was placed over the left shoulder. The interface shoulder pressures were measured when the subjects were completing the tests on the treadmill, including stand still for 30s, walking at 3.5mph for 90s and remain in place for 30s. The vertexes of measured interface pressure in gait cycle were captured for data analysis. Each type of backpack was tested for twice. Result: No significant difference was observed between AGS-backpacks and non-AGS backpack on the shoulder measured pressure. In the meantime, no significant result showed the differences between the vertexes of measured pressure in gait cycles among three backpacks. Conclusion: There is no evidence to show the effectiveness of AGS backpack on decreasing the shoulder pressure. However, further study from different aspects to find out the effectiveness of AGS-backpack were needed.