This is a “Meet The Maker” profile in collaboration with Maker Faire Rome, highlighting makers who turn innovative ideas into tangible realities.
Maker: Andrea Piccinno (Italy)
Project: Morph, a human-powered, load-bearing exoskeleton designed to reduce strain on the back, neck, and legs during repetitive physical work. It uses no batteries, no motors—just smart engineering. Morph is debuting at Maker Faire Rome, making its first appearance on the global stage.
About the Maker
Andrea Piccinno is a mechanical engineer (currently Head of Design) with over 10 years of experience in product development across demanding international environments, including key roles in the aerospace and automotive sectors. He has contributed to the production of components for high-profile global projects like the Boeing 777X, the Alfa Romeo Tonale, and the Ferrari Purosangue.
A longtime 3D-printing enthusiast and exoskeleton aficionado, he began Morph to unite multiple disciplines in a practical, worker-focused build. For over four years, he has meticulously documented every prototype and failure on his Instagram account @nozzle_torino, where he’s built a highly engaged community of over 130,000 followers.
About the project
Most exoskeletons chase power. Morph chases comfort and reliability. Morph is a full-body, passive rig that spreads load from the shoulders and spine into a lightweight frame—and adds cervical support, a feature most systems skip. After four years of public documentation, Morph is now on its fourth prototype (V4), shaped by field tests and feedback from people who lift, reach, and carry for a living. This latest version uses a robust combination of CNC-machined aluminum alloy and high-strength polymer parts. It’s practical, human-scale engineering—the kind makers excel at—and it’s debuting at Maker Faire Rome.
What problem were you trying to solve when Morph began?
I kept seeing the same pattern: people ending shifts with back and neck pain from repetitive handling. Powered exos are amazing, but they’re heavy, expensive, and maintenance-hungry. I wanted something workers could trust every day—no charging, no downtime—that simply reroutes load away from vulnerable joints, with the ultimate goal of unloading part of the user’s weight directly to the ground, not just shifting it to other body parts.
Why go fully passive?
Reliability and adoption. If an exo is dead when the battery is, it won’t get used. Passive mechanics allow me to tune springs, pivots, and linkages to store and redistribute energy through natural motion. To ensure the load-bearing capacity and durability needed to rival active systems, I implemented a mix of high-strength 7075-T6 aluminum alloy CNC-machined components, custom surface treatments, preloaded gas springs (like the 42kg springs on the legs), and custom mechanical springs. Less to break, less to fear.
The neck/cervical assist is unusual—how did you make it comfortable?
Most industrial rigs ignore the neck, which is a critical point for overhead work. I prototyped a modular cervical support that shares load with the torso and hips. Interest in this section was so high that I developed a separate, standalone neck exoskeleton based on community requests. The trick was adjustability: soft contact points, micro-angle tuning, and a quick “off” position so the user can look around freely when needed.
What did early prototypes get wrong?
The first 3D-printed versions were great for testing principles, but they had material limitations. Version one was too stiff; users fought it. Version two helped the back but over-constrained shoulders. By V4, I separated degrees of freedom: assist where needed, disappear where not. The biggest game-changer was transitioning the device to be more than half in metal—high-strength aluminum—which allowed me to overcome the structural limits of early versions. Field notes and incremental failures were what truly drove progress.
What can readers replicate right now?
A surprising amount. The frame uses off-the-shelf hardware plus printable brackets and guides. Straps, pads, and fasteners are standard. I’ll publish a BOM (Bill of Materials) and sizing guide with adjustment ranges for height and torso length. If you’ve ever built a backpack frame or stabilized a camera gimbal, you’re already most of the way there.
How do you fit different bodies quickly?
Ergonomics and quick donning are critical for real-world workplace adoption. I use color-coded straps and indexed sliders on the main linkages. You dial in shoulder width and torso length first, then fine-tune assist level with elastic elements. Crucially, I integrated quick-release systems from companies like FIDLOCK (including their SNAP and WINCH components for the feet), which drastically reduced wearing time—the goal is under 90 seconds from hand-off to first lift.
Where is Morph headed next?
More field trials in warehouses and workshops, validation with ergonomics labs (I’ve been collaborating with Politecnico di Torino), and a small run to support pilot deployments. Long-term, I’d like to offer a kit version for the maker community, along with a workplace model featuring easily replaceable wear parts.
How can the community help?
Testers, feedback, and forks. I’m especially looking for textile wizards to improve pads and harness comfort, and materials folks to explore light, quiet joints. If you have experience with CE or safety certification for product introduction, I’d welcome advice.
Maker tip
Start with the task, not the mechanism. Watch real work for an hour before you CAD anything.
Next steps
Open-source documentation (including BOM and sizing), pilot deployments, and a call for collaborators to help bring Morph into everyday use.
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