HeroWear: exoskeleton company

Overview

HeroWear is a Nashville-based wearable tech startup developing industrial back support exosuits. The company's flagship product is the world's leading exoskeleton for back relief, addressing the $15.5B+ annual cost of overexertion injuries. Raised $5M Series A.

Verified record

Verified deployments: 2 deployments on file
Active incidents: None on file

Data & sources

Web sources

2

2 sources backing this record.View all →

Models (1)

View all models →

Current platform

Apex 2

Lightweight passive back-assist exosuit reducing back muscle strain 20-40% and fatigue by 40%. No motors or batteries. Weighs 3 lbs.

exoskeletonView model →

HeroWear on the deployment map

View the global map

2 verified deployments across 2 regions, newest verified Jan 2025. Explore where HeroWear's robots are operating, by place and type.

Free to use on your site, with a link back to DEPLOY.

View the full HeroWear deployment record →

Relationships

HHeroWearCustomer

Current leadership (2)

Joel Edwards CEOsecondary-verified
Karl Zelik CSO & Co-foundersecondary-verified

Safety record

No incidents on record for HeroWear.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →

Operator customers (1)

HeroWear2 deployments

Recent coverage

HeroWear in third-party press

HeroWear: Industrial Back Support Exosuits

Jan 1, 2024

Peer companies

Fourier Intelligence4 models
Honda3 models
Lockheed Martin3 models
DIH Medical2 models
Ekso Bionics2 models
German Bionic2 models

Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Record createdAug 8, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Deployment recordedJan 1, 2025
Apex 2 at Multiple, Global
Deployment recordedOct 3, 2024
Apex 2 at Canberra, Australia

Full change history →

Sources (2)

Common questions

What is HeroWear?

HeroWear is a Nashville-based wearable tech startup developing industrial back support exosuits. The company's flagship product is the world's leading exoskeleton for back relief, addressing the $15.5B+ annual cost of overexertion injuries. Raised $5M Series A.

What does HeroWear make?

HeroWear has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: Apex 2 (HeroWear builds physical robots).

Who competes with HeroWear?

On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to HeroWear building in the same form factors include Fourier Intelligence, Honda, Lockheed Martin, DIH Medical.

Who is the CEO of HeroWear?

Joel Edwards is the ceo of HeroWear, per the DEPLOY registry.

Where is HeroWear headquartered?

HeroWear is headquartered in Nashville, TN, USA.

Where does HeroWear operate robots?

HeroWear operates 2 verified deployments, including at Multiple, Global, Canberra, Australia.

How many robots has HeroWear deployed?

DEPLOY has 2 verified HeroWear deployments on record at sites including Multiple, Global, Canberra, Australia. That is a count of distinct field deployments each backed by sourced evidence, not a manufacturer's claimed unit total; it updates as new sites are verified.

Is HeroWear a top robotics company?

On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, HeroWear ranks in roughly the top 12% of companies tracked by the registry.

Is HeroWear safe?

HeroWear has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.

Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-09

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-09

Sources by quality tier

2: unclassified; Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Peer companies

Fourier Intelligence4 models
Honda3 models
Lockheed Martin3 models
DIH Medical2 models
Ekso Bionics2 models
German Bionic2 models

In the press

Recent coverage mentioning HeroWear from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.

herowearexo.comJan 1, 2024

HeroWear: Industrial Back Support Exosuits

HeroWear builds the world's leading exoskeleton for back relief, addressing $15.5B+ annual cost of overexertion injuries to US businesses.

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Machine-readable surfaces

Markdown mirror: /companies/herowear.md
RSS feed: /companies/herowear/feed.xml
JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
REST API: /v1/companies/6507ef99-a474-4192-8916-6dded78d0867
Revision history: /companies/herowear/history
Data documentation: /data
Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP

Peer companies

Fourier Intelligence4 models
Honda3 models
Lockheed Martin3 models
DIH Medical2 models
Ekso Bionics2 models
German Bionic2 models

Reality vs attention

HeroWear draws attention at the 10th percentile but verifies reality at the 78th percentile among exoskeletons. Hype Gap -67.6, 29th widest among exoskeletons.

Reality78thpctileverified deployments vs exoskeletons

Attention10thpctilemedia + video vs exoskeletons

Hype Gap -67.6Quietly real

Compared to exoskeletons →

Peer rankingTop 12% of Exoskeleton

vs funding peers+1.7 ptscapital-efficient

Open the Hype Gap chart →

Analysis

Clean safety record across 2 verified deployments. Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.

Signal flags

New deployment

Dimension breakdown

Verified signal

95.0MED

20.5MED

Insufficient data

Insufficient data

Insufficient data

Attention (reach, not merit)

Market Presence →

0.0LOW

DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.

DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed

Claim Integrity Fleet Reality Operator Repeat All indices

Last computed: Aug 9, 2026

Methodology Intelligence layer