Physical workload in retail often goes unnoticed, yet it makes up a significant part of daily staff duties. Throughout their shift, employees are constantly on the move: transitioning between the sales floor and the stockroom, working on stairs, carrying goods, walking thousands of steps, and maintaining a steady pace throughout the entire workday. In such an environment, endurance is not a mere advantage, but a fundamental condition for effective performance.
It is under these conditions that the staff at CeTe – Technology Center. Epicentr tested the Hypershell exoskeleton in real work rhythms. The goal of the test was to assess how wearable robotics could impact employee well-being throughout the shift and whether the technology could provide meaningful support in scenarios where the load builds up gradually but consistently.
In such roles, a workday can last over 8 hours, with daily distances reaching up to 20 km. On average, an employee takes 12,000–15,000 steps per shift, often in conditions of constantly changing pace, zone transitions, and working on stairs. It is in these scenarios that testing provides the most accurate assessment of the exoskeleton’s practical value in a real-world environment, where every additional movement compounds the hours of strain.
According to the test results, Hypershell demonstrated a noticeable effect in relieving strain during walking. Users reported reduced tension in their legs and lower back, with particularly significant support during stair climbing — where fatigue builds up the fastest and the strain on the musculoskeletal system is most pronounced. For retail, this is a crucial factor, as much of the physical fatigue comes not from one intense episode, but from the continuous repetition of similar actions throughout the day.
When someone walks 12,000–15,000 steps every day, even a partial reduction in load has a direct, practical impact. This leads to less fatigue, a steadier work pace, and more energy left at the end of the shift. This is what defines a new approach to physical labor — where technology doesn’t replace the worker, but enhances their ability in processes that previously relied solely on personal endurance.
The potential of such solutions for retail opens up the opportunity to rethink labor organization in environments with high levels of physical activity, where accumulated fatigue directly impacts work pace, employee well-being, and overall task performance. In this context, exoskeletons can become one of the tools to support personnel in retail, logistics, service sectors, and other areas where physical strain is a constant part of the operational process.
DroneUA is steadily introducing exoskeletons to the Ukrainian market as a practical technology for retail, logistics, service, medicine, and rehabilitation. What was once considered a futuristic concept is now being tested in real-world work environments and demonstrating practical value in specific use cases.
DroneUA thanks CeTe – Technology Center. Epicentr for their openness to new technologies and willingness to test solutions that are already changing how physical work is approached today.
The full video case can be viewed here:
EPICENTR employees were delighted! Take a look at what the EXOSKELETON did
