International Airlines Group (IAG) has made a strategic investment in Verve Motion, a wearable robotics company developing exosuits designed to support workers carrying out repetitive lifting tasks. The investment, made through IAGi Ventures, underlines the Group’s commitment to innovation to enhance operational resilience, safety and productivity across its aviation operations.
The funding round also included new and existing investors, among them personal protective equipment specialist HexArmor. Verve Motion has now raised more than US$55 million to accelerate the development and deployment of its technology.
Founded in 2020 by Spanish entrepreneur Ignacio Galiana and based on research from Harvard University, Verve Motion develops lightweight exosuits that reduce physical strain during manual handling tasks. The technology is already in use across logistics and industrial sectors to improve worker comfort and help reduce the risk of injury.
As part of the partnership, IAG will work with Verve Motion to trial an aviation-specific exosuit, initially focusing on shoulder support for baggage handlers. The pilot programme will assess how wearable robotics can ease repetitive lifting tasks and improve performance across ground handling and cargo operations.
Nacho Tovar, Group Innovation Director at IAG, said the investment reflects the airline group’s strategy of supporting start-ups that address key operational challenges. He added that testing the technology in a live aviation environment would help evaluate its potential to improve the working conditions of colleagues carrying out physically demanding roles while supporting more efficient operations.
