Vineyard and farm exoskeletons: which one to choose?

Introduction: the back, farming's first breaking point

In vineyards, greenhouses and milking parlours, the body absorbs thousands of bends and repeated movements every season. According to an adviser from the MSA (France's agricultural social security fund) quoted by Pleinchamp, more than 90% of occupational diseases in agriculture are musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). No wonder the exoskeleton is attracting more and more winegrowers and livestock farmers.

Farming press articles usually present one product at a time. This guide does the opposite: it starts from the task (pruning, harvest, market gardening, milking, tractor work), lists the models actually offered to farmers and their announced prices, then looks at what field trials say, including when they are disappointing. Prices are those found in our sources and may have changed since.

Exoskeletons offered to farmers: overview

Almost all models used on farms are passive exoskeletons: springs, flexible blades or elastic bands that return part of the effort, with no motor or battery. They fall into two families: those that relieve the lower back when bending forward (pruning, low picking, market gardening), and those that support the shoulders and arms when working with arms raised (milking, high picking).

Table sources: Pleinchamp (Exoviti, Liftsuit 2.0), Réussir Vigne (Symbo), the Hapo product pages (SD, BACK, UP), Réussir Lait (Skelex) and Réussir Massif central (Plume, Mate XT). According to the latter, an exoskeleton costs between €1,000 and €10,000 depending on the model.

Vine pruning: the best-covered task

Winter pruning is the most documented use case: weeks of work bent forward, often in the cold, under a thick jacket. It is also the task with the most dedicated models.

Exoviti: the first exoskeleton designed for vineyards

Launched by RB3D, the Exoviti uses two springs whose force is set with a dial, from 0 to 20 kg of assistance according to Pleinchamp, with a single model for people from 1.50 m to 1.95 m tall. Its weight differs between sources: 1.8 kg in the launch article, 2.2 kg in a more recent one. Its public price is still announced at €1,500 excl. VAT. During a trial in Burgundy reported by Réussir Vigne, a vineyard worker ruled it out, finding it heavy and feeling that its spring restricted movement too much, especially when bending down.

Liftsuit 2.0: the textile suit

Fully textile and unpowered, the Liftsuit 2.0 weighs 0.9 kg and was offered at €1,150 excl. VAT by Générale œnologie, with a one-week rental refunded if you buy. A winegrower in the Drôme, quoted by Réussir, paid €990 excl. VAT through a cooperative, for announced assistance of up to 10 kg. He says it took him half a day to fit it properly to his body.

Hapo SD and Hapo BACK: flexible blades

Hapo exoskeletons, made in France, rest on the thighs and shoulders using flexible bars at the front. The Hapo BACK product page explicitly mentions a winegrower pruning vines. The Hapo SD also targets crouching or kneeling work. A young winegrower in Saône-et-Loire with low back pain told Réussir Vigne that his pain went from 3/10 at the end of the day with another model to 0 or 1/10 with the Hapo, after a long week of pruning. He feels the price of 2,000 euros may seem high for his small estate, but that it is worth it. He had to have a shoulder setting corrected and regrets the lack of adjustment markers on the device.

To compare the models in the range, see our complete Hapo guide.

Grape harvest: little data, be cautious

None of our sources presents an exoskeleton trial run specifically during the grape harvest. For pickers, the movement resembles pruning (bent forward, low rows): a back exoskeleton could help in theory, but the pace, the heat and constant moving around change the picture. For carriers, who walk on slopes with a back basket, we found no published feedback. The market gardening and livestock trials detailed below show that twisting and moving around are precisely these devices' weak points: a heavy or rigid model will be even more of a handicap there than during pruning.

In practice, if you already have an exoskeleton for pruning, try it for a morning of harvest before imposing it on a team of seasonal workers: a poorly adjusted model, shared between several people of different heights, hinders more than it helps.

Market gardening and picking: working at ground level

Market gardening combines difficult postures: crouching, kneeling, bending forward, with frequent changes of position. That is a weak point for rigid exoskeletons. At the Brittany chamber of agriculture's market gardening station in Auray, three staff members tested the Exoviti and were not convinced, according to Pleinchamp: the device was judged inflexible, unsuitable for kneeling and impossible to keep on when climbing onto a tractor.

For this kind of work, look instead at models designed for several positions, such as the Hapo SD, which its maker presents as suited to full bending and to crouching or kneeling work. Our dedicated question covers this case: which back exoskeleton for crouching or kneeling work.

For high picking (orchards, trellising), the shoulders do the work. A lab study published in Sensors simulated a shoulder-height harvesting task with 24 participants: a passive shoulder exoskeleton reduced shoulder and upper-arm muscle activity by about 25 to 35%, with no significant reduction in perceived exertion. The authors also note that back muscles tended to work harder, and stress the limits: a sample of young men, a simulated task, short use. In our catalogue, the Hapo UP targets this overhead work: see our question on exoskeletons for working with arms raised.

Milking and livestock: shoulders relieved, back sometimes penalised

In the milking parlour, the repeated movement is raising the arms to attach the milking clusters. Shoulder exoskeletons worn like a backpack are therefore the most tested. The Skelex, distributed by Gobio, weighed 2.5 kg and cost €5,750 according to Réussir Lait. Its support kicks in when the elbow reaches heart height.

Results are mixed. At the Blanche-Maison experimental farm in Normandy, a trial with the chamber of agriculture and the MSA was stopped after one month instead of three: workers noted help reaching the farthest teats, but also a heavier mental load, more back rotation and difficulty moving around the pit. By contrast, a farmer in Maine-et-Loire says the device relieves his shoulders, after a first week of back pain while he relearned his posture.

Other farmers are satisfied. In the Drôme, partners were testing the Plume (1.6 kg, €3,500), and in Isère, a farmer with arm tendinitis had been using a 2.9 kg Mate XT for five months and did not regret buying it, according to Réussir Massif central. She took six months to choose her model.

On pig farms in Brittany, an MSA Armorique trial brought together 12 volunteers for vaccination work: back muscles were helped when working in front of the body, but the help was judged insufficient during twisting, and only one volunteer considered buying, reports Pleinchamp.

Tractor driving: the Symbo case

Long hours of soil work, leaning forward to watch the implement, also tire the lower back. A winegrower in the Mâconnais chose the Symbo for tractor work, while waiting for longer trials to confirm it, according to Réussir Vigne. The same estate chose a Hapo for pruning: two tasks, two devices.

The Symbo is the Exoviti's little brother: 750 g, mostly textile, a single spring at the top of the back, no belt, sold at €750 excl. VAT. According to Réussir Vigne, it is designed for prevention and gives too little support to those who already suffer from back pain. If you have low back pain or a herniated disc, first read our question on exoskeletons with a herniated disc or low back pain.

What trials say: where it does not work

One winegrower's enthusiastic testimony is not a study. The largest trial we found is the MSA Languedoc one on vine pruning, presented during a webinar and reported by Pleinchamp: over three years, with 33 participants and three exoskeleton models, more than half of the testers felt new discomfort, 9 people stopped the trial, and only 20% of testers felt real relief in the first year.

Feedback is similar from one sector to another:

• Relief moves elsewhere: in milking as in force-feeding, the shoulder feels better, but back pain appears.
• Twisting and posture changes are poorly covered: bending down, turning, climbing onto a machine.
• Adjustment matters as much as the model: a device shared between several people must be constantly readjusted.
• Experience is very individual: in Burgundy, a single estate ruled out two models, one judged too weak, the other too heavy, before finding its compromise.

The INRS (French occupational safety institute) also lists risks specific to these devices (mechanical strain, mental load): see our question on the risks of an exoskeleton for its user. The message from MSA occupational physicians remains the same: an exoskeleton does not replace work organisation, equipment (electric pruning shears, seats, trolleys) and collective prevention.

MSA aid and funding: what really exists

To date, the MSA does not fund the purchase of an exoskeleton. An adviser from MSA Loire-Atlantique-Vendée explained this by the lack of hindsight on their use, according to Pleinchamp, and the central fund held the same position according to Réussir. However, the MSA's occupational health and safety services can support you in an overall prevention approach.

The real options:

• Agefiph (French disability employment fund) can cover part of the cost for a worker officially recognised as disabled.
• Rental or loan: some distributors offer a one-week trial refunded if you buy. Our question on renting before buying lists the options.
• For employers, buying equipment for employees falls under their prevention obligations: see who pays for the exoskeleton at work and our article on regulation for employers.

Other subsidy schemes are detailed in our question on financial aid for companies; check with your MSA which ones apply to your farm.

How to choose a farm exoskeleton

1. Start from the main task: bent back (pruning, market gardening) or raised arms (milking, high picking). A back exoskeleton does not help the shoulders, and vice versa.
2. List the secondary postures: if you often need to crouch, kneel or climb onto a tractor, favour a flexible or multi-position model.
3. Check compatibility with your clothing and tools: winter jacket, battery belt for electric pruning shears, overalls in the milking parlour.
4. Try it for a full day in real conditions, ideally several models, and get help with the adjustment.
5. Look at the warranty and service: Hapo models, for example, carry a two-year warranty on springs and textile.

For a broader overview of back exoskeletons at work, read our article on back pain at work and our guide by job.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best exoskeleton for vine pruning?

There is no clear winner: trials show that experience varies widely from one person to another. The models most often mentioned for pruning are the Exoviti, the Liftsuit 2.0 and the Hapo BACK and SD. Try at least two, for a full day each.

How much does a vineyard exoskeleton cost?

Prices found range from €750 excl. VAT for the Symbo to €1,999.00 excl. VAT for the Hapo BACK, with the Exoviti at €1,500 excl. VAT. Our article on exoskeleton prices gives the ranges by family.

Does the MSA reimburse an exoskeleton?

No, not to date, given the lack of hindsight on their effectiveness. Agefiph can help workers recognised as disabled, and your MSA can support you on prevention.

Can you wear an exoskeleton for a whole day of pruning?

Some winegrowers do, but adapting takes time and new discomfort is common at first. See our question: can you wear an exoskeleton all day?

Does an exoskeleton weaken the back muscles?

The risk is mentioned for prolonged, permanent use, not demonstrated for seasonal use: details in our question on muscle deconditioning.

Further reading

To understand the different families before choosing, start with our complete exoskeleton guide, then compare the Hapo SD and Hapo BACK product pages.