JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #134 - May/June 2020 - 53

healthcare SOLUTlONS

Wearable exoskeleton robots to reach
a global market of US$ 5.2 billion by 2025
In recent years, new body-worn assistive devices - the so-called exoskeletons - have been introduced in the market, mainly for industrial and medical
applications. Initially, they had been developed for military purposes. They
include active and passive systems that enable workers in different industries to
perform heavy lifting activities and work more efficiently. The benefit of reducing
work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) is of central economic and
social relevance. Interesting medical applications in neurorehabilitation will see
tremendous growth potential in the future.

xoskeletons are developed
in the U.S., China, Korea,
Japan and Europe. The initial developments were driven
by military and medical uses.
Large growth potential is foreseen in industrial sectors such
as automotive and shipping,
aerospace and many more.
The most commonly used
materials are glass and carbon
fibres. According to a recent scientific study on new composite
technologies used for endo and

exoskeletons: "Even in the robotics field, materials of this type are
beginning to be used, thanks above
all to the mechanical performance
they offer. Surely these new materials, which offer characteristics
similar to those in humans, could
favour both the rehabilitation
times of patients, and also a better
quality of life" [1].
Addressing work-related
musculoskeletal disorders
A recent study of the European
Agency for Safety and Health
at Work states: "Musculoskeletal
disorders (MSDs) remain the

Diagram showing the percentage of all employees in
Europe working in tiring or painful positions (adapted from Eurofound 2019)

most common work-related health
problem in the European Union
(EU) and concern workers in all
sectors and occupations" [2].
This not only affects the quality
of life of the workers themselves,
but has a high financial impact

on enterprises and society.
"Musculoskeletal disorders are
impairments of bodily structures
such as muscles, joints, tendons,
ligaments, nerves, cartilage, bones
and the localized blood circulation
system" [3].

Focus
What are exoskeletons?
"[E]xoskeletons are wearable devices that enhance or
support the strength of the user. Owing to the large number of applications and different functionalities, there is
still no common definition. [However], there is [a] general agreement that exoskeletons can be defined as onbody external mechanical structures. [There] are active
and passive systems. Active exoskeletons use actuators
[...] to support human movements [...] [whereas passive
systems] use the restoring forces of springs, dampers or
other materials to support human movement.
Hybrid exoskeletons, which can be active or passive
systems [...] use brain wave activities (EEG signals) or
muscle activation to initiate movements [,are the future].
[T]heir use in industry is currently unlikely [...]. [The
certification process is still rather difficult, since there is
no uniform definition available.] Even though there are
numerous studies on exoskeletons that take different aspects of usability and functionality into account, effect on
the health of employees are currently poorly understood.
In particular, long-term effects of exoskeletons on physiological, psychosocial and biomechanical parameters
are unknown."
Source: The Impact of using exoskeletons on occupational safety
and health, discussion paper of European Agency for Safety and
Health at Work, 2019: http://osha.europa.eu, p. 2-8

N°134 May - June 2020

/ jec composites magazine

http://osha.europa.eu

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #134 - May/June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #134 - May/June 2020