Panasonic Supports the Paralympic Road to Tokyo and Beyond

Panasonic Supports the Paralympic Road to Tokyo and Beyond
  • Power Assist Suits to help spotter/loader at World Para Powerlifting (WPPO) World Cup in Manchester
  • Panasonic contributes to Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games being ‘the most innovative ever’

Manchester (UK),2020-02-20 – Panasonic Corporation, an Official Supplier of World Para Powerlifting and a Worldwide Paralympic Partner, announced today its contribution to the Manchester 2020 Road to Tokyo Para Powerlifting World Cup. Celebrating over 20 years of engagement with the Paralympic Movement, Panasonic will be contributing Power assist suits that will ease the strain posed on the lower-back of the spotter/loader personnel. The event will be one of the final qualification events for European athletes aspiring to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and is being held between 20 – 23 February.

The Para Powerlifting World Cup competition, being held at Wythenshawe Forum will see the ATOUN MODEL Y Power Assist Suit being used by spotter/loader personnel to handle more than 100 weights of between 10 kg and 50 kg. The Suit, which was also used at 2019 Para Powerlifting World Cup in Tokyo, will alleviate strain posed on the lower-back when objects are lifted or lowered from the floor to waist height.

About Power Assist Suits

World Para Powerlifting events are ultimate tests of upper body strength in which athletes must sometimes lift more than three times their own body weights. During World Para Powerlifting competitions, loader/spotters will support the competition by handling weights for more than 180 powerlifters. It is estimated that these assistants will cumulatively handle more 8,650 kg of weight during the male and female competitions combined. Panasonic's ATOUN MODEL Y Power Assist Suit, a wearable robotic suit weighing just 4.5 kg, will alleviate stress placed on the waists and backs of loader/spotters as they repeatedly handle weights. When a heavy weight is lifted, body-position sensors detect torso movements and trigger the operation of built-in motors that are synchronized with the person's movements to alleviate strain posed on the lower-back by compensating for the average motor action potential of the wearer's muscles.

Power Assist Suits have been successfully demonstrated at the Kitakyushu 2018 Asia-Oceania World Para Powerlifting Championships and Kitakyushu 2017 Para Powerlifting Japan Cup, both WPPO-sanctioned competitions. These events have showcased the suits’ many advantages, including:

  • Enhanced safety and precision when moving weights on/off bars

  • Faster weight handling between lift attempts to facilitate smoother competitions

  • Improved performance by loader/spotters

  • Decreased physical burdens on loader/spotters

  • Improved sense of safety for competitors when attempting lifts.

Power assist suit was originally designed to support personnel who frequently handle heavy loads, including at airports, factories and logistics, construction or agricultural sites.

About Panasonic's Support for Paralympic Games

Panasonic Corporation first supplied AV equipment to the Nagano 1998 Paralympic Winter Games, first sponsored the Paralympic Games in 2002, and has been an Official Worldwide International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Partner since 2014. In September 2019, Panasonic also announced its partnership with World Para Powerlifting. In addition to its ongoing support of the Paralympic Movement, Panasonic provides accessible products and services to people with disabilities, the elderly and others with special needs. Panasonic believes in the Paralympic Games as a movement for global peace through sport, a natural extension of the company's philosophy of A Better Life, A Better World.

About Panasonic

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Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies and solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, and B2B businesses. The company, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2018, has expanded globally and now operates 582 subsidiaries and 87 associated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 8.003 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2019. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company uses its technologies to create a better life and a better world for its customers.

To learn more about Panasonic: https://www.panasonic.com/global

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