ILMA Compoundings July 2018 - 12

Exoskeletons are protecting manufacturing and warehouse workers, but not as a security force reminiscent
of Tony Stark's Iron Man. Rather, industrial exoskeletons
making their way into the workplace are donned by
workers on an assembly line or employees who lift heavy
loads, and they look a lot more like a back brace used
for lumbar support than a supersuit. These exoskeletons
are lightweight, not too bulky, and they allow workers to
move freely. Often, they don't even have any electronic
or moving parts.

Exoskeleton maker SuitX's MAX system is one example of
a flexible industrial exoskeleton. It uses compressed springs
to resist force mechanically. Let's say a worker has to lift and
move heavy boxes in a warehouse all day. When the worker
bends over, the leg piece of the system relieves strain at the
knees, then the back piece diverts the weight of the torso and
the object through the frame and to the ground instead of the
person's spine. If the worker has to lift the box over his head
to place it on a rack or pallet, the shoulder piece takes on the
weight and makes a 30-pound box feel more like 15 pounds.

The purpose of these workplace exoskeletons is to prevent
injury. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 5 percent
of warehouse workers suffered work-related injuries in 2015.
Overexertion injuries overall cost $15 billion a year. When
you factor in lost productivity, training new workers and
increases in insurance costs, you're looking at a figure closer
to $68 billion.

My energy level is so much
higher when I go home after
wearing the vest all day."

Photo courtesy of SuitX

INDUSTRY RUNDOWN

Exoskeletons That Protect
and Aid Workers

The Max exoskeleton by SuitX.

JULY 2018

| COMPOUNDINGS | ILMA.ORG

Ford Motor Co. is experimenting with exoskeletons
made by Ekso Bionics on its factory floors to help lessen
the chance of fatigue or injury while performing overhead
tasks. Ekso Bionic's EksoVest elevates, supports and provides
adjustable lift assistance of 5 pounds to 15 pounds per arm
for the worker during the approximately 4,600 times a
worker lifts them on the assembly line.
Paul Collins, an assembly line worker at Ford, told a reporter
with Verge that it took a few weeks to get used to wearing the
vest, but after a few weeks of working with it, he was sold. "If
they try to take it away, they'd probably have a fight on their
hands now," Collins told the reporter. "My energy level is so
much higher when I go home after wearing the vest all day."
Lowe's Home Improvement is also running an exoskeleton pilot program with its stock employees. These are the
people who unload delivery trucks and move product onto
the sales floor. Ninety percent of their time is spent moving
and lifting freight. The device reduces the amount of energy
an employee expels while lifting boxes and bags of concrete.
An industrial exoskeleton that focuses on a specific part
of the body starts at $4,000. An entire system that supports
the shoulders, back and knees comes in at around $10,000.
If that sounds ridiculously expensive for safety gear, take
another look at those Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers.

http://www.ILMA.ORG

ILMA Compoundings July 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ILMA Compoundings July 2018