I searched for a great example of a lever in a hacker made project and came up with a great one by our very own [James Hobson]. He built an exoskeleton with arms for lifting heavy loads.

Rangan, V. Kasturi, and Rohithari Rajan. "Unilever in India: Hindustan Lever's Project Shakti--Marketing FMCG to the Rural Consumer." Harvard Business School Case 505-056, February 2005. (Revised June ...