Workplace equipment aimed at the hearts, and lower backs, of anime fans.

At the risk of spoiling a 27-year-old plot twist, the “robots” in Evangelion aren’t really robots. They’re actually giant biomechanical constructs, designed to achieve physical capabilities beyond what any organism or machine could on its own.

And now Evangelion is combining scientific enhancement and muscular motion in the real world as well, with the release of the wearable Evangelion Unit-01 “assist suit.”

Produced by Okayama Prefecture medical supplies manufacturer Daiya, the A.T. Field Darwing Hakobelude Light Eva Test Type Model is visually styled with the color pattern seen on Eva protagonist Shinji’s Evangelion Unit-01. It’s essentially a work harness to help keep your core securely braced during lifting, so that you don’t strain the muscles or overextend the joints in your lower back.

▼ “I mustn’t strain my back I mustn’t stain my back I mustn’t…”

The designers spoke with the target market, workers in the construction, agriculture, nursing care, and warehousing industries who told them they wanted a harness that was simple and lightweight. To that end, the assist suit, as Daiya calls it, has no motorized components or rigid frame. It’s a simple buckle-up harness, with soft padding and a weight of just 660 grams (23.3 ounces).

Tabs at the shoulders also allow the wearer to quickly switch between the more snugly fitting assist-on mode or the more comfortable assist-off mode without taking the entire harness off, so you can harness the harness’ extra support only when you need it.

As a piece of professional-grade work equipment, the A.T. Field Darwing Hakobelude Light Eva Test Type Model is quite a bit pricier than, say, a bootleg Eva T-shirt, with pre-orders now open here on the Daiya online store for 82,500 yen (US$610) with shipping scheduled for early September.

Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Daiya (1, 2)
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