Industrial exoskeletons: Wearable robotics help in the workplace

Exoskeletons are no longer science fiction. Many industrial applications already use the robotic suits to support people daily at the workplace and ensure occupational health and safety. Workers put on the powered suit or attach the exoframe to a specific part of the body – such as the shoulders, legs, or hands – to get the support they need for a posture, motion, or physical activity.

Exoskeletons are wearable devices that can enhance or assist heavy work tasks or activities that entail sustained non-ergonomic positions. Whether it is in automotive production, logistics or construction work – employees can use the mechanical support structures in a variety of settings. Exoskeletons are becoming an integral part of occupational safety and health in many industrial sectors.

The exosuits provide many benefits, especially when it comes to health concerns. Back pain – one of patients' most frequent complaints to their doctors – is the reason why a large percentage of exoskeletons are used in industry sectors. Although there are strategies to relieve or prevent back pain – when lifting objects, for example – it’s not always easy to remember and implement them consistently during a hectic workday. Another example of a strenuous activity is overhead work: in automotive assembly, workers often have to look up and lift their arms above their heads and shoulders to attach and install car parts. This repetitive overhead motion can lead to extreme muscle and joint fatigue and injury. The interim conclusion is that the stress from heavy lifting and non-ergonomic positions is unavoidable in many settings and can adversely affect intervertebral discs, the spine, arms, and other parts of the body.

As people get older, the constant strain on the body is taking a toll. While this is primarily an issue for those whose health is adversely affected, it also has long-term effects on society: the latter is challenged by demographic changes, an aging population and subsequent increased skilled labor shortage in many parts of the world. As it relates to social sustainability, it is important to create a space and opportunities for the available workforce, ensuring employees can remain with their respective company and do not have to consider switching to other career fields. For many companies, this means they must promptly develop future-proof strategies that make work less stressful for employees for decades to come and ease everyday tasks for older team members in efforts to retain them.

This yields even more benefits from an entrepreneurial perspective: reduced heavy workloads prompt a decrease in sickness absences. The support of exoskeletons can also amplify productivity as work processes might often become faster and more efficient. Better employee performance and productivity can also promote user motivation.

Many companies already use exoskeletons for the aforementioned purposes and objectives. They are also being tested as it pertains to the specific job requirements they are meant to augment and support. This is often accompanied by university researchers.

Are you interested in an overview of the current state of research, in empirical values that many workplaces from diverse areas of industry are already making with the use of exoskeletons, or in prospects for the future?