Support staff will use the suits at powerlifting competitions to help them attach and remove weights from barbells.

Described as "wearable robots", the 4.5 kilogram suits alleviate the strain placed on the back and waist when lifting heavy objects.

"It does this by measuring the average motor action potential of the muscles at the time of lifting," World Para Powerlifting said.

"It detects the movement of the trunk with a position sensor and reduces the load on the waist during cargo handling work by rotating the motor of the waist according to the movement intention."

At Tokyo 2020, assistants will carry at least 8,650kg combined across the men's and women's competitions.

Panasonic, already a Worldwide Paralympic Partner as well as a top-tier partner of the Olympic Games, has become an official supplier of World Para Powerlifting to support the use of the suits.

"We are honoured to offer our power assist suits at the Para-powerlifting events and at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games," said Satoshi Takeyasu, the chief brand communications officer at Panasonic.

"We are committed to using our innovative technologies to help Tokyo 2020 deliver the most innovative Paralympic Games in history."

Athletes can lift more than three times their own weight in powerlifting. 

Power suits were first tested at the 2018 Asia-Oceania Open Championships in Kitakyushu in Japan.