The exoskeleton brings to mind many science fiction scenarios and comic book characters, such as the wealthy Tony Stark who becomes Iron Man thanks to super-tech armor, yet systems to artificially gain more strength – or better withstand repeated efforts and always the same – they are increasingly common in the real world, and not just in the military. New light armor for arms and legs is starting to spread in the workplace, for example in assembly lines, and is proving very useful in improving the safety and health of workers. In the future, they could reduce accidents, as well as make less frequent occupational diseases typical of strenuous jobs, such as the transport of material or the use of heavy tools.
As the word suggests (the prefix exo means “external”), exoskeletons are structures that are applied to the body to support the musculature and the strength of the bones, especially in case of strong stress. The term mostly identifies “active” armor, that is with motors or other systems to make them move, compared to “passive” ones such as the classic medieval armor. Among the first to experiment with this system was the Russian inventor Nichola Yagn at the end of the nineteenth century: his exoskeleton operated on compressed air, but it was not very reliable.
In 1917 the American Leslie C. Kelley instead patented a system that worked with steam engines, but was rather heavy and impractical. Only in the 1960s, thanks to smaller electric motors and more reliable hydraulic systems, did the exoskeleton technology begin to be more widespread, with the first uses mostly in the military.
The advances achieved in recent decades, especially in materials science, have made it possible to create stronger and lighter exoskeletons, therefore more comfortable to wear. The use in the military sector, in many cases experimental, was predominant until a few years ago, but several startups and research centers have now understood its commercial potential and have started its development.
Among the most promising companies – and which has stood out thanks to the contracts it has signed over the years – is the Californian Ekso Bionics founded in 2005. The company has collaborated for a long time with the United States Army, building particular “active” uniforms for soldiers, then turned to private individuals looking for potential customers interested in its products. Among the most fruitful recent collaborations is that with Ford, one of the largest car manufacturers in the world.
While much of the work in auto factories is now automated and handled by robots, there are still a number of tasks that can only be done by humans, especially at certain stages of the assembly line. Lifting the same drill hundreds of times every day is not only tiring: it involves repeated efforts which in the long run can cause cramps, inflammation and, in the most serious cases, osteoarthritis. In addition to being a sometimes disabling disorder, occupational diseases are a cost for companies, which therefore have an interest in protecting the health of their employees (or at least they should), and more generally for society, considering that they significantly contribute to health expenditure of each country.
From the collaboration between Ekso and Ford EksoVest was born, an exoskeleton that recalls at least in the basic concept the idea of Yagn of over a century ago. It works by using a hydraulic system to redistribute loads, so that workers on the assembly line can make repeated movements with less effort, especially by reducing stress on the joints.
EksoVest is adjustable and can therefore be worn by people with different builds. The hydraulic system helps to lift the weights reducing the effort up to approximately 7 kilograms. This is no small feat, considering that in some assembly line jobs a worker raises his arm 4,600 times a day, nearly a million times a year. The system supports the movements of the wearer and intervenes only in certain circumstances, when it detects excessive effort or more complicated movements. The exoskeleton also allows you to support heavy loads for a longer time, without suffering from particular muscle fatigue or joint pain.
The exoskeleton is still in the experimental phase, but is still used in two separate tests with a dozen workers at two Ford plants in Detroit, Michigan. The company has not disclosed how much the development of EksoVest has cost so far, but has nevertheless confirmed that it is interested in experimenting with it in different plants around the world, in view of its possible use on a large scale.
The civilian exoskeleton industry is relatively new, but it is quickly filling up with competitors, who are confident in growing demand for these types of products, especially as the average age of the workforce increases in more industrialized countries. For about a year, Hyundai has been developing a much more massive exoskeleton than the Ekso one, designed for lifting loads up to 60 kilograms.
Moreover, investments are being concentrated in the automotive sector. For a couple of years, Audi has been experimenting with exoskeletons that help workers to maintain otherwise uncomfortable positions for several minutes, with devices that lighten the loads on the joints of the legs.
In 2016, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles completed the study of an exoskeleton system for its workers. The solutions created with the RoboMate project, funded by the European Union, help to lift and move heavy objects more easily, even if exoskeletons of this type are for now more bulky than those produced by Ekso.
In Italy, a consortium formed by the companies Comau (Piedmont) and Ossur (Emilia Romagna) has recently started a collaboration for the development of exoskeletons with Iuvo, born from a piece of the Bio Robotics Institute of the Sant'Anna School of Pisa. . Among the founding members of Iuvo is Maria Chiara Carrozza, former Minister of Education and member of Sant'Anna. The initiative is still in the start-up phase, but the consortium will still focus on the development of new technologies to be used in the civil sector with the aim of relieving physical efforts in the factory.
