Laboratory tests
To be innovative, you must dare to try new things! We know we make great school backpacks, but can it be done even better? This winter we, together with NORCE Research (norceresearch.no) and funded by the Norwegian Research Institute, testet school backpacks using pressure mapping and robots.
The process
Step 1
3D-scan of child
Step 2
3D-print of the child’s upper body
Step 3
Assembly of sensor mat and school backpack
Step 4
Testing, simulated movements using robots
Step 5 – Analyzing results
We were extra excited seeing how our new 1st grade school backpack, Active Air FLX, performed against competing school backpacks in the market. The back system on the Active Air FLX is based on a combination of air and padding.
Below you can see test-results from different school backpacks (time: 30 seconds running, weight in backpack: 2,5 kg + dead weight).

Distribution of pressure: | Beckmann Active Air FLX |
Competitor Y | Competitor X |
Shoulders | 38 % | 45% | 53 % |
Back and hips | 62 % | 55% | 47 % |
100 % | 100% | 100 % |
- As you can see from the illustrations above, the air cushion in the back of Active Air FLX distributes the pressure more evenly over a larger part of the back and provides a larger contact surface between the backpack and the back. This in turn leads to better support and stability.
- When carrying a school backpack, you want to distribute weight from the shoulders to the hips. Therefore, most bags are equipped with a hip belt. This also applies to all the bags we tested. Nevertheless, we see big differences. By looking at the illustrations, it is very clear that Active Air FLX transfers much more of the weight to the hips/pelvic crest, compared to the competing school bags we tested.
- From the illustration you can also see how the center of gravity of the bags lies through the testing. It appears with a red dot in the center of the spine. Compared to the competitors, Active Air FLX has a lower center of gravity, which supports that the shoulders carry less, and that more of the weight has been distributed to the hips.
Should I use the hip belt on my Active Air FLX?
Yes, is the short answer. As the table below shows, we found out that you carry more with tour shoulders if you do not use the hip belt.
Active Air FLX | With hip-belt |
Without hip-belt |
Shoulders | 38 % | 46% |
Back and hips | 62 % | 54% |
100 % | 100% |