Category: Exoskeletons

Exoskeleton technology refers to wearable devices that can enhance the wearer’s abilities. This may include giving the user enhanced strength, reducing user fatigue, or even helping users regain abilities lost due to spinal cord injuries (SCI), strokes, or traumatic brain injuries. The devices may be fully powered exoskeletons with the ability to move for the user, or they may simply assist with user-initiated movements. Some exoskeletons have sensors that can help monitor the user’s movements to improve safety and provide relevant information to healthcare professionals on how well the patient is progressing. Wearable robotic exoskeletons have a wide variety of uses for military applications, the construction industry, healthcare, and more.

There have been many advancements in wearable robotics since the early days. The first exoskeleton developed and used by Ekso Bionics, the world leader in exoskeletons, was the Human Universal Load Carrier. The HULC model was made for military use. The unit provided leg support and functioned as a backpack of sorts that allowed soldiers to carry heavy loads of up to 200 lbs across great distances and at higher speeds of up to 10 mph. Unfortunately, HULC couldn’t be considered a success overall because it impeded some movements, and it could even lead to greater muscle strain, which is the exact opposite of what an exoskeleton should do.

With many more models available today that are being used across multiple industries, you may be wondering how strong an exoskeleton really is. This simplest answer is that it just depends on the model and what it’s being used for. Here are some of the more commonly used robotic exoskeletons, what they’re used for, and how much they can support.

Rehabilitative Devices

One of the most exciting uses for wearable robots is in clinical settings where they’re used to help patients with neurological disorders and physical disabilities. One example could be rehabilitation robot technology that helps a patient with paraplegia brought on by a complete or incomplete spinal cord injury to walk again. They can also be used to help patients who have had a stroke with gait training to regain their original gait and help them improve their balance and posture. They can help the rehabilitation process of patients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries as well. Generally speaking, robots used for these purposes are strong enough to perform all of a patient’s movements for them if necessary, and they also have to be strong enough to support each patient’s full weight, up to 250lbs for some exoskeletons.

Ekso’s latest medical exoskeleton for neurorehabilitation, the EksoNR, is a great example of one of these robots. This is the first exoskeleton to be cleared by the FDA for treatments involving strokes, acquired brain injuries, and SCI. This powered exoskeleton robot assists patients with recovering their natural gait by promoting neuroplasticity and targeting intensity, thus teaching patients’ brains and muscles to work together to walk again. This device may help wheelchair users transition to crutches or a cane and assist those patients from using an assistive device to eventually walking under their own power.

This device provides full support to the spine and lower extremities while also helping patients maintain good posture. Like most exoskeletons, the device wraps around the patient’s chest and waist while using a torso pad and rigid back to support the spine. This particular device also provides full support to the hips, thighs, knee joints, and ankle joints. The robotic device can then perform the full movements of the patient’s lower limbs if needed, or it can assist with patient-initiated movement. Naturally, the exoskeleton is strong enough to support each patient’s own weight, up to 220lbs.

This exoskeleton robot also features pre-gait exercise programs to allow users to practice stepping in place, squatting, shifting their weight, and other exercises before they begin each session. Patients can take their time adapting from a wheelchair to the assistive device, and sensors and data capture capabilities allow for easy systematic reviews of progress in a clinical setting.  Once a patient has gained strength, balance, and coordination, they can begin working on advanced gait such as walking backward, side-stepping, and even walking with added resistance.

Industrial Devices

Exoskeletons also have many applications in industrial settings, especially for construction and manufacturing. Upper body exoskeletons allow workers to lift heavier loads, perform repetitive overhead tasks, and maintain demanding positions all with greatly reduced fatigue and discomfort. Even better, these systems are lightweight and can improve human performance and workplace safety without irritating the user’s body.

Jointed exosuits, like the FORTIS exoskeleton, are robot suits that provide support to the human operator’s entire body. This type of power suit is great for workers who have to carry and use heavy tools (of up to 36 lbs) since it’s able to transfer the weight to the frame of the exoskeleton and then to the ground. This greatly increases the worker’s endurance and prevents unnecessary strain on muscles and joints.

Ekso even makes a zero-gravity tool holder that can support large and heavy tools of up to 42 lbs. The device can be mounted almost anywhere and is particularly useful for jobs on scaffolding and other elevated areas. It works similarly to the FORTIS exoskeleton in that it transfers the weight of the tool to its base and the ground. As the Zero-G name implies, it also allows workers to move these tools weightlessly. The number one goal of industrial exoskeletons is to prevent workplace injuries, and these tools do an excellent job.

Contact Ekso Bionics

Further research and exploration will no doubt uncover even more uses for exosuits, and we’ll begin to see ones that can carry even heavier loads. Perhaps one day, the super-strength granting exosuits seen in pop culture will step from fiction into reality. To learn more about the newst knowledge afforded by exosuits and how they can help, reach out to the Ekso Bionics team today.

When you think of an exoskeleton, you probably think about sci-fi films and advanced technology. While sci-fi makes this technology seem unrealistic, the truth is that exoskeletons are highly useful for treating traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and is available for patients in the United States.

Of course, there’s more to the use of exoskeletons than you might think. From physical therapy to community and personal use with some devices, exoskeletons may well be the future of care for rehabilitation.

Exoskeletons aid cognitive rehabilitation.

Many hospitals and care facilities continue to express interest in exoskeleton technology for inpatient rehabilitation programs. As rehabilitation research expands, the value of an exoskeleton increases for treating patients with brain injuries and strokes. Occupational therapists who work with patients with severe TBIs and individuals with other disabilities rely on robotic exoskeleton technology to aid neuroplasticity and cognitive rehabilitation efforts. However, it’s important to note that the use of exoskeleton technology in rehabilitation services is fairly new. As such, only time can uncover the added benefits of exoskeleton use.

Researchers believe that there may be exoskeleton uses that benefit cardiovascular health for patients with TBI and stroke. Exoskeletons also reduce the risk of falls during rehabilitation and allow for significantly more steps than traditional gait training. Even patients with TBI with limited leg function may use a robotic exoskeleton to ambulate more effectively. This benefits the general activities of daily living, especially during acute rehabilitation, and allows for more physical activity.

Case Study: Various Exoskeleton Applications

During the rehabilitation of patients with traumatic brain injuries, a clinician, physical therapist, or physiatrist may utilize an exoskeleton device to aid the recovery process. Powered exoskeletons also have applications in the military, industrial, and even consumer markets. Though powered exoskeletons may be most commonly used during the acute rehabilitation of a severe traumatic brain injury, healthcare professionals often see exoskeleton usage across the continuum.

In acute rehabilitation, exoskeleton use commonly follows a set procedure. To start, the exoskeleton is often placed into a mode where the exoskeleton does the majority of work. This means that the exoskeleton does the majority of work for patients after TBI. The exoskeleton works with the user’s body in this phase and gives them time to adjust to how the exoskeleton moves and operates. In some cases, this is referred to as gait training. Quite simply, it improves the patient’s gait as they use the exoskeleton. After the patient has learned how the exoskeleton moves, the mode is changed, allowing the patient to be more active while still receiving assistance from the device as needed.

Adaptive assist mode allows patients to use as little power as they’re able. This will vary depending on the patient’s physical disability and the goals of their rehabilitation. Depending on the severity of the injury, the robotic exoskeleton might act like a fully supportive assistive device during rehabilitation.

During these steps, closely monitoring and tracking goals remains important. With exoskeleton data, it’s easier to track outcome measures such as limb and motor function, the overall rehabilitation progress, and whether the intervention or ongoing adjustments are required. While some medical professionals use exoskeletons to improve cognitive function, it often requires a multidisciplinary team to make the best use of this rapidly growing technology.

Contact Ekso Bionics

To learn more about the new knowledge afforded by this medical device and how it can help patients overcome severe injuries, reach out to the Ekso Bionics team today.

Nothing strains the body more than repetitive heavy lifting, especially overhead. Proper ergonomics in the industrial workplace is crucial, yet lifting heavy items remains one of the top causes of injury in the workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 36 percent of injuries involving missed work days resulted in shoulder and back injuries. The biggest factors in these injuries? Cumulative trauma and overexertion.

Exoskeletons to the rescue! Exosuits designed to aid workers in the construction and industrial spaces can help tremendously when it comes to preventing these injuries in the first place, and easing pain and discomfort from existing injuries.

Musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs), such as strains and sprains, often result when one repeatedly lifts, carries or otherwise handles objects. The risk of injury is compounded when twisting bending, awkward postures and heavy loads are involved. Effective ergonomic controls can go a long way toward preventing or reducing the risk of injuries, as well as employing smart lifting practices and assistance through machinery (i.e., forklifts), but these practices only go so far.

Construction exoskeletons and industrial exoskeletons can further reduce the chances of a worker suffering from muscle pulls, back sprains, wrist and elbow injuries, and spinal injuries.

Industrial Exoskeletons: A Game Changer

While still in their relative infancy, predictions say by 2025, there will be 20,000 full-bodied exoskeletons working across a variety of industries, such as auto, aviation, maritime, construction, and logistics, according to EHS Today.

Exoskeletons are revolutionizing operations on the factory floor and on construction sites. And while many tasks can be automated, some – like complicated, repetitive tasks that require assistance from the human mind and body — just can’t be automated.

Due to this inherent automation, there will always be a need to have humans involved in the process of completing a task because they are more agile and have the ability to adapt.

Machine intelligence can only go so far. Robots and computers are great at highly repetitive duties that are part of an assembly line, but they can’t handle switching to different types of tasks at a moment’s notice. While they have the strength to do those tasks, they don’t have the human’s brain. Industrial exoskeletons, on the other hand, worn by humans, can go from lifting a pallet onto a truck one moment, to moving an engine block onto an assembly line the next.

Wearable exoskeleton devices have been known to reduce musculoskeletal loads that would not otherwise be helped by an engineering process change, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

A human can step inside an exosuit and move naturally using their own intuition, instincts and reflexes to control it. In essence, industrial exoskeletons take the best of both worlds – the intelligence of human operators, and the endurance and strength of robots – and combine them. They bridge the gap between extremes of tasks that demand repetitive motions by robots and fully manual work, points out The Robot Report.

Value Proposition: Improving Productivity in Heavy Lifting Environments

The advantages of construction exoskeletons and industrial exoskeletons are obvious and easily quantified, such as an increase in efficiency and an improvement in productivity. In many cases, exosuits eliminate the need for expensive, “full-on” automation solutions, plus they bring the potential to allow aging workers to continue performing labor-intensive tasks.

The primary advantage and key driver for adoption is to decrease how worker-related injuries occur with heavy lifting injuries, thereby lowering disability and healthcare costs. Improving worker health also extends to the reduction of employee turnover.

The biggest problem in the industrial workplace when it comes to repetitive tasks and heavy lifting, of course, is fatigue. When workers become fatigued, they can’t be as productive as they normally would be, plus costly mistakes are more likely to happen, not to mention safety risks. Fatigue threatens the output a company can achieve. By addressing this component with industrial exoskeletons, companies can achieve better growth, lower costs and better productivity on the plant floor.

Contact Ekso Bionics

Find out how Ekso Bionics can solve your heavy lifting issues in the construction and industrial space when you contact us at 510-984-1761.

From monoplegia and hemiplegia to paraplegia and quadriplegia, there are many types of paralysis that can pose immobility issues. All four types can benefit from some kind of exoskeleton, but the one best for your rehabilitation needs, or your patients’ needs, will depend on the kind and extent of paralysis they suffer from.

In general, paralysis is the inability to move a part of the body and can be either temporary or permanent. Paralysis is not brought on by damage to a specific organ or area of the body but a result of damage to the nerves that are inherent in the movement. 

If a person suffers a complete spinal cord injury affecting the lower back, it is possible that they will incur  paralysis to the area that lies below the damaged area.

In a nutshell, our nerves transmit orders to and from our brains. When that connection has been broken in some way, we become unable to move our legs or lift up our arms. If someone suffers from an incomplete spinal cord injury, they will maintain some feeling or movement below their level of injury, though the extent of what remains varies from person to person. 

Types of Paralysis

While the location and extent of the paralysis depend on how the injury occurred or the type of condition involved, there are four distinct categories whereby paralysis can be classified.

Monoplegia

Affecting one area of the body, typically just a single limb, monoplegia leaves the person with no movement in that limb. The resulting paralysis can be either temporary or permanent. Monoplegia is commonly associated with cerebral palsy, but can also happen after a stroke or when nerves have been damaged in a particular location. In many cases, the level of paralysis will reduce as the person recovers, such as with a stroke. 

Hemiplegia

This form of paralysis impacts both a leg and an arm on one side of your body. This mostly stems from an issue with the brain. It can be caused by a traumatic injury, a congenital abnormality such as cerebral palsy, or a lack of oxygen on one side of the brain.

Treatment ranges from surgery to physiotherapy, oftentimes aided by an exoskeleton.

Paraplegia

This usually involves the inability to move the legs, but it can also affect lower body functions such as bowel and bladder elimination. Paraplegia may occur after damage to the spinal cord has been done, particularly in the thoracic or lumbar region, with other cases including spinal infections and lesions, stroke, brain tumors, and congenital malformations. 

Quadriplegia

Paralysis that occurs below the neck is known as quadriplegia or tetraplegia. It affects all limbs and body areas, such as the torso, that fall below the point of injury. The main causes include spinal cord injuries after a car accident, diving accident or sporting accident, but may also be caused by traumatic brain injury, brain and spine tumors and lesions, and nerve damage throughout the entire body.

Solutions

There are many robotic exoskeletons people with paralysis can use to aid in mobility. Let’s take a look at a couple that Ekso Bionics offers:

EksoNR

This is essentially a wearable exoskeleton that provides power to the legs, designed to help patients stand and then walk during rehabilitation. It is best for those that have use of at least one arm, though grip assists can be used if the patient has difficulty moving their hand. EksoNR helps clinicians give the necessary support to their patients’ legs, all while promoting proper movement patterns throughout recovery and challenging patients to take steps again.

EksoNR promotes the most natural gait and proper posture, featuring a high, rigid back and several progressive modes. This is ideal for patients recovering from a brain injury, stroke, or spinal cord injury who are just beginning to walk.

EksoUE 

Designed to assist a patient’s affected arm and shoulder during clinical rehabilitation, EksoUE helps those with upper extremity paralysis or weakness. The goal is to help the patient recover strength, range of motion and endurance in the upper body.

With such a wide range of exoskeletons in rehab centers today, there is hope for anyone who suffers from paralysis.

Contact Ekso Bionics

To find out if you could benefit from an exoskeleton to aid in your mobility progress due to paralysis, contact us at 510-984-1761 or sign up for a free demo online.

Workplace injuries are often associated with an isolated, single traumatic event which causes harm to an employee. This category of injuries is responsible for more damages than any other injury type, including slip and falls. The statistics from the CDC are sobering:

• In 2018, 2.5 million workers sustained work-related injuries and were treated in ERs.
• 27% of nonfatal work injuries resulting in days away from work were related to slips, trips, and falls.
• More than 235,000 injuries due to contact with equipment and objects were so severe, they resulted in time away from work. 
• Workers under 25 years of age have higher rates of occupational injuries than other age groups.

Repetitive motion injuries, also called repetitive stress injuries (RSI), leave employees unable to perform essential daily tasks, including fulfilling their stated job requirements. Common RSIs include carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, and tendonitis, along with all manner of upper and lower body musculoskeletal injuries.

Eksoskeletons developed by Ekso Bionics help address and relieve these common workplace injuries that result from repetitive motions. An EksoVest like the EVO, for example, is an upper-body exoskeleton that increases productivity and reduces fatigue to ultimately relieve work-related injuries to the neck, shoulder, and back. 

EksoZeroG is a robotic aerial system designed to support heavy power tools on aerial work platforms to give workers more safety, endurance, and accuracy. Because the powerful robotic arm can bear the weight of heavy equipment, workers don’t have to.

Both products are designed to address the top category of injuries resulting in lost workdays: overexertion due to lowering, lifting, and repetitive motions.

Who’s at Risk for Injury?

These types of injuries arise from repetitive tasks, vibrations, forceful exertions, mechanical compressions, and awkward or strained positions. RSIs cases are on the rise, thanks to the increased use of computers and other equipment in the workplace. Prior to computers, most RSIs arose from athletic injuries, i.e., tennis elbow. While office workers who sit at a computer all day are at a higher risk for repetitive motion injuries, any job that involves repetitive motions is at risk, such as:

• Welders
• Automotive manufacturing
• Aerospace manufacturing
• Food processing
• Construction
• Electrician
• Shipbuilding
• Coal mining
• Logistics, fulfillment, and shipping
• Solar installation
• Assembly line workers
• Cake decorators
• Seamstresses and tailors
• Hairdressers
• Cashiers
• Tattoo artists
• Musicians

How Can You Prevent Them?

In the case of work-related repetitive motions , it’s tough to keep the injury from happening over and over again without losing productivity or missing work. It’s not feasible to stop or reduce the activity intensity, so what else can be done to relieve the burden? 

The employee can:

• Take periodic breaks
• Stand up and stretch
• Rest eye muscles
• Eat healthy
• Increase exercise
• Sleep for at least eight hours
• Practice self-care, such as going to the chiropractor or getting a massage.

These tips are all well and good to relieve existing strain on the body. But what about preventing them in the first place? That’s where the eksoskeleton or eksosuit comes in. 

Exoskeletons are essentially wearable robotic technologies that support workers in their jobs, providing postural support that can follow the movements of the arms without misalignment or resistance. This, in turn, can generate a 30% reduction in stress on the shoulder muscles. Exoskeletons can support employees in a variety of sectors, including automotive, construction, agriculture, and customer service.

Ergonomics experts point out that when injuries occur, they most often impact the shoulder, which consequently suffer the highest number of injuries. On top of that, they take the longest to heal and return to full function. Shoulder surgeries are one of the most expensive orthopedic operations.

Not only do workplace injuries affect the health of employees as well as the company’s bottom line, when fewer workers are injured on the job, there is not as much need for hiring and training people who can replace those who are recuperating.

Many factors stress workers’ bodies: varying postures, vibrations and positions they must accommodate while performing their work.

Thanks to advances in wearable robotic technology and the availability of state of the art exoskeleton suits, some of that physical stress can be alleviated by mechanically assisting the worker. Be reducing the number of repetitive motions a worker has to go through, or easing the stress that comes with each movement, this will benefit the musculoskeletal system overall, which includes muscles, tendons, nerves, ligaments and bones.

Contact Ekso Bionics

To learn more about how our eksoskeletons can relieve repetitive motion injuries in your work environment, contact us at 510-984-1761 or request a free demo online.

Paralysis is a devastating diagnosis, one that nobody wants to hear. But it’s dramatically more widespread than you may assume. About 1.7 percent of the U.S. population are living with some form of paralysis, which is a central nervous system disorder that results in difficulty or inability to move the lower or upper extremities. The leading cause of paralysis is stroke, followed closely by spinal cord injury.

There is hope on the horizon. In fact, it’s already here. Human exoskeletons are mobile frameworks with a bright future, as they are giving back a sense of movement and control for people who are paralyzed. 

Take disruptive clinical robotics, for example, like those developed by our teams here at Ekso Bionics. Our wearable technology has helped thousands of patients take more than 130 million steps that may have never been possible before. We’re rethinking rehabilitation with the rise of the human exoskeleton, with a mission to help people with paralysis regain full or partial mobility. 

While some exoskeletons have long been used as an assistive device for those with paralysis, providing 100 percent of the power needed to walk, breakthroughs such as EksoNR now offer the ability to actively challenge the patient piloting the device. Physical therapists can rely on EksoNR to meet the patient at their current capabilities and challenge them further in order to create progress.

Such human exoskeletons promote proper posture and a natural gait, allowing therapists to focus more on quality during treatment. It’s an ideal solution for people after a neurologic event like a stroke because research suggests it improves patient gait speed, functional balance, and walking distance outside of the device.

These exosuits can’t fix the disease or paralysis. They can’t fix the injury or turn back time. One thing they can do is postpone secondary injuries due to sitting, which provides an overall better quality of life. In essence, they are prolonging life. When patients are up and moving, rather than inactive in a bed or wheelchair, they’re being active, improving their overall health and enhancing their quality of life – not just for themselves but for their kids, spouses, and other family members.

The Possibilities of Exosuits

Helping people affected by paralysis walk again: this is the hope of the many scientists, researchers, therapists, and engineers who have ever worked on an exoskeleton suit for people with disabilities. Such suits have given new life and hope to many all over the world. With the help of robotic exoskeletons, people with paralysis are able to walk their daughters down the aisle for their weddings, participate in sports again, and even move all four limbs with mind control robotics. There are many mind-blowing, heart-warming stories out there about exoskeletons, but incredibly, they haven’t hit their full potential yet. 

Bionic exoskeleton suits represent another step – quite literally — for robotics and wearable technology that can help those with paralysis and other mobility challenges now and in the future.

Helping Those with Paralysis Walk Again…One Step at a Time

Our EksoNR technology is designed to assist patients in standing and walking during rehabilitation, helping clinicians offer the necessary support to a patient’s legs. In turn, this device promotes correct movement patterns through all steps of recovery, challenging patients as they progress towards their goal of standing and walking again. In essence, these suits re-teach the brain and muscles how to properly walk again.

We offer the following benefits to help people with paraplegia take steps again: 

1. SmartAssist Software: Customized motor support for varying impairment levels in both swing and stance walking phases, from patient-initiated movement to full assistance.
2. Data Capture: Session-specific walking times, distances, and speeds are saved to a secure, cloud-based dashboard for analytics. 
3. Posture Support: Bearing their own weight with proper postural alignment, patients can maximize treatment time. 
4. Pre-Ambulatory Tools: PreGait is a suite of programs to help patients weight shift, balance, squat, and step in place prior to walking. 
5. Adaptive Gait Training: Sensors and software monitor and regulate leg movement to reduce compensatory gait patterns. 
6. Clinician Control: Modify assistance levels and specify training targets in real-time for each leg based on patient goals and feedback.

Contact Ekso Bionics

Ekso Bionics has created the most widely-studied exoskeleton for rehabilitation, with more than 1,800 patients participating in more than 100 investigator-led clinical studies. Learn how we can enhance functional outcomes across all levels of paralysis care. Contact us at 510-984-1761.

More than one million people in California work in the manufacturing and industrial fields, dedicating their lives to making the products we use every single day. From food and clothing to cars and electronics, the Golden State has the largest state economy as well as manufacturing output in the entire nation, according to Business Insider. 

Sadly, though, factory workers who process, sort, and pack products on an assembly line or who use heavy machinery to produce the goods we use every day are at a significantly higher risk of injury than other workers. Indeed, the manufacturing industry is one of the top three occupations that has the largest number of injuries that results in days off work.

The most common injuries include: 

• Muscle strain
• Broken bones
• Spinal cord injuries
• Respiratory issues
• Illness due to chemical exposure
• Poisoning
• Vision loss
• Broken bones
• Burn injuries
• Hearing loss
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Tendonitis

What can be done to reduce all those injuries? Exoskeletons to the rescue! A growing number of warehouses, factories and construction sites are integrating exoskeleton devices into their daily operations to reduce injury and to increase productivity. Such exoskeletons are designed to augment, restore or reinforce human performance to alleviate strain.

Common Injuries in Industrial Workers

There’s little doubt that factory workers have physically demanding jobs; but on top of that, they are constantly navigating and avoiding the hazards of working in manufacturing plants and production facilities. And while different workers are assigned to different environments to perform different job duties, they all face very similar risks across the entire industry. 

Check out the most common accidents for industrial workers and the injuries that result.

1. Overexertion Injuries

Manufacturing jobs require that workers be on their feet constantly, lifting heavy objects, bending, twisting, and working in awkward positions. Overexertion injuries occur when someone is pushed beyond their physical capabilities, gets fatigued, and suffers from reduced muscular capacity. Some of the most common include strains, sprains and back injuries. 

2. Contact With Objects and Equipment

Workers often get injured when coming into contact with a piece of equipment or other object. A piece of their clothing could get caught in a machine, crushing a limb, or they could get caught, stuck, or crushed by falling material.

3. Repetitive Motion Injuries

These occur when workers repeat the same motions every day for long periods of time. They develop when a worker’s connective tissues, including ligaments and tendons, slowly wear down and get inflamed. The longer a repetitive motion injury is allowed to go on without treatment, the worse the prognosis and symptoms.

4. Slips, Trips, and Falls

Spilled liquids on the floor may cause a worker to fall down and break a bone, while misplaced objects pose a tripping hazard. Falls from elevated platforms are also common when not secured with safety railings.

5. Exposure to Harmful Substances

Those who work in chemical manufacturing plants in particular are exposed to harmful substances. They may inhale toxic fumes that result in respiratory illness, or they are exposed to dangerous substances that can splash on their clothing or skin, causing a burn or blindness. 

The bottom line is that most industrial injuries force workers to take time off work. This impacts production levels, which impacts how much money your company can make. If you have a severely injured employee, they may require surgery and rehabilitation before returning to their job, which costs you additional money.  

How Exosuits Are Helping

Exoskeleton companies like Ekso Bionics are making huge strides when it comes to worker safety and productivity, making exosuits that keep workers safer on the manufacturing or factory floor. 

Manufacturing industries are increasingly turning to exoskeletons to ensure their workers perform tasks smarter, more efficiently, and in a safer manner. 

Injuries associated with moving and lifting heavy workloads are a main concern of human resources departments, labor unions and government regulators. 

Several recent and ground breaking advances in the field of robotics have allowed robotic exoskeleton companies to craft intelligent solutions that remove the heavy loads off the backs of humans. Some even allow the wearer to pick up and move hundreds of pounds without stress on the body.

Many industries use exoskeletons to improve safety. The agriculture industry, for example, involves high levels of manual labor, so farmers are using exoskeletons to lighten their loads. Logistics firms, as another example, are using exoskeletons to help their workers move faster and more efficiently for fulfillment and warehousing applications.

Robotic exoskeletons bring worker centrality to the factories of the future, helping to support workers and improve the quality of their working hours, according to MachineDesign. 

Assisting human workers as they perform repetitive and manual tasks is a key goal, particularly in light of a globally-aging workforce and the fatigue associated with a number of manufacturing tasks.

Contact Ekso Bionics

How can robotic exoskeletons help your workers avoid injury? We can discuss your needs when you contact us at 510-984-1761 or request a free demo online. 

There is hope for those who have been without it for so long: next-generation exoskeletons can help patients move. Indeed, the gentle nudge of a robot may add just the right blend of force to improve walking for those with mobility-impairing ailments such as stroke, spinal cord injury, and acquired brain injuries.

Disruptive clinical robotics like those developed by Ekso Bionics are tackling loss of mobility and cognition head on, with wearable technology that has helped thousands of patients take more than 130 million steps while providing inspiration for a whole new medical device industry. Indeed, today’s advances are aimed at rethinking rehabilitation, with the end goal of helping people regain their full mobility, getting out of their wheelchairs and onto their own two feet.

From wearable exoskeleton suits that provide power to the legs, to upper body exoskeletons that assist the shoulder and arm, this technology does everything from helping patients recover strength, endurance, and range of motion of the upper body, to promoting correct movement patterns in all phases of recovery for those with lower body challenges.

Let’s take a look at how exoskeleton suits can benefit those with different physical impairments.

Stroke

Each year, 795,000 people in this country have a stroke, with 610,000 of those being first or new strokes; about 185,000 strokes (one in four) are repeat strokes, according to the CDC. If they’re lucky, stroke patients will get just a few short weeks of inpatient rehabilitation therapy. But with such limited time, rehabilitation clinicians have to focus on getting their patients home safely, which often includes walking in whatever capacity possible.

Sadly, many patients after a stroke never learn how to walk normally again. And because solid braces prohibit the ability to push off the ground with the affected foot, the more they walk, the weaker the ankle gets, and the more the foot will drop. This approach has been stifling the potential people have to improve after a stroke, says TheScientist.

Patients in wheelchairs have further challenges: not only do they not get the support to work on their walking skills, but all that sitting day in and day out starts to impair bowel and bladder function, reduce bone mass, and throw off blood pressure. Being in a load-bearing, standing position is critical for the body, and an exoskeleton suit may be just what the doctor ordered.

Exosuits help stroke patients by appropriately correcting for the users’ aberrant movements, while increasing their pace.

No matter what the disability is there’s no doubt that today’s exoskeleton suits are giving patients with mobility challenges new hope.

Contact Ekso Bionics

Interested to learn how exoskeleton companies like Ekso Bionics are helping factories and warehouses improve worker safety and performance? Just contact us at 510-984-1761 or request a free demo online. 

Exoskeleton companies like Ekso Bionics are making huge strides in the worker safety and productivity space with suits that can make workers safer on the manufacturing or factory floor. These exosuits are becoming more and more common as mobility and cost concerns become less and less of an issue. 

Manufacturing industries are increasingly turning to exoskeletons to ensure their workers perform tasks smarter, more efficiently, and in a safer manner. What was once only seen in sci-fi movies of the future, the exoskeleton is fighting its way into industry, to be sure, but also into the everyday lives consumers.

Increasing Safety With Fewer Injuries

Injuries associated with moving and lifting heavy workloads are a main concern of human resources departments, labor unions and government regulators. Up till now, Band-Aid approaches have included:

• Lightening the workload
• Reducing the time to move heavy items
• Improving ergonomics

However, even with these in place, worker injuries are still occurring. Enter: exoskeletons – the next in a generation of game-changing solutions.

Past years have brought exoskeletons that were high-precision, wearable braces. But many recent and ground breaking advances in the field of robotics have allowed exoskeleton companies to craft intelligent solutions that remove the heavy loads off the backs of humans. Some even allow the wearer to pick up and move hundreds of pounds without stress on the body.

Many industries use exoskeletons to improve safety. The agriculture industry, for example, involves high levels of manual labor, so farmers are using exoskeletons to lighten their loads. Logistics firms, as another example, are using exoskeletons to help their workers move faster and more efficiently for fulfillment and warehousing applications.

Exoskeleton companies are creating exosuits that provide:

• Full-Body Support for lifting or carrying heavy tools and materials around a site, thereby reducing strain on much of the body.
• Crouching Support for tasks involving crouching or standing for long periods of time through ergonomic support.
• Arm Support: There are two types — Power gloves strengthen grip and increase endurance, while arm support limbs act as a third arm, alleviating the strain of lifting and using a heavy tool by making it basically weightless.

Back Support that uses the correct posture and lifting techniques every time, alleviating pressure and preventing straining.

More Productivity

A growing number of warehouses, factories and construction sites are integrating exoskeleton devices into their daily operations to reduce injury, of course, but to also increase productivity. Such exoskeletons are designed to augment, restore or reinforce human performance. 

According to MachineDesign, exoskeletons bring worker centrality to the factories of the future, helping to support workers and improve the quality of their working hours. Ever since the First Industrial Revolution, manufacturers have been harnessing technology to make things better, cheaper and faster. Now, with the Fourth Industrial Revolution in front of us, the focus is evolving from pure technology to the creation of humanized technology. 

Assisting human workers as they perform repetitive and manual tasks is a key goal of exoskeleton companies in light of a globally-aging workforce and the fatigue associated with such manufacturing tasks. Exoskeletons — the emblem of worker centrality – are helping companies respond to this challenge in new and innovative ways.

For example, arm support exoskeletons are lightweight, breathable, and ergonomically-designed to adhere to the human body just like a second skin. As such, this wearable exoskeleton offers advanced and consistent anti-gravitational assistance during manual, repetitive and strenuous tasks. Because it moves with the wearer and effectively transfers weight away from the wearer’s shoulders, it leads to a 30 percent reduction in strain on the main shoulder muscles, thereby reducing the strain of performing overhead tasks, such as assembling, drilling, operating vibrating hand tools, and retrieving products from higher shelves and conveyor lines.

The result? Reduced muscular effort, improved posture, more productivity, and improved well-being.

The Challenges of Exoskeletons

While exoskeletons allow for enhanced ability, mobility has always been a particular design challenge. Powering the exoskeleton means the worker has to be tethered to some kind of power source. However, today’s newer designs have lower power requirements, using only small battery units that can last for up to eight hours on one charge. In addition, batteries can be hot-swapped, with little to no downtime required.

Exoskeletons of a few years ago indeed improved the wearer’s capabilities; however, they slowed down their movements. Workers had to be trained on how they could get the exoskeleton to move as they wanted it to. Today, predictive algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) now mean there’s no latency between the movements of the worker and the response of the exoskeleton. The result? Exoskeletons can function intuitively in real-time depending on the movements of the user, just about eliminating the learning curve, says Control Engineering.

Contact Ekso Bionics

Interested to learn how exoskeleton companies like Ekso Bionics are helping factories and warehouses improve worker safety and performance? Just contact us at 510-984-1761 or request a free demo online. 

Lifting heavy items happens to be one of the top causes of injury in the workplace. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says more than 36 percent of injuries involving missed days of work resulted in back and shoulder injuries. Cumulative trauma and overexertion were the biggest factors in these injuries.

Lifting, carrying or handling objects at work often result in musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs), such as strains and sprains. The risk of injury is higher with twisting bending, heavy loads, and awkward postures. Effective ergonomic controls may reduce the risk and prevent injuries, as well as smart lifting practices and assistance by machinery such as forklifts. These can all reduce the chances of suffering from back sprains, muscle pulls, wrist and elbow injuries, and spinal injuries.

However, now there’s a new kid on the block. Exoskeletons can be worn by employees in the workplace to reduce injury in a far less invasive manner. From manufacturing to construction, these suits can be utilized for just about every application.

The Risks

Injuries from handling and lifting loads can occur in several occupations, whereby workers are exposed to risk when they lower, lift or carry objects. Risk factors include: 

• Load weight 
• Proximity of the load to the body
• Load size and shape
• Distance the load must be carried 
• Initial height of the load, as well as vertical distance lifted 
• Lifting in combination with bending or twisting 
• How long the load must be carried 
• Number and frequency of lifts performed 

Add to those heavy lifting requirements, and you’ve got injuries arising from repetitive motions as well. With employees performing over-head motions, for example, several thousand times a day in many cases, overuse injuries abound. 

Exoskeletons can solve both injury types and problems.

Reduction of Musculoskeletal Loads

From a workplace health and safety standpoint, wearable exoskeleton devices are beneficial in reducing musculoskeletal loads that would not otherwise be helped by an engineering process change, says the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 

It’s long been known that lifting and handling of heavy materials while also supporting heavy tools are both contributors to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and fatigue. MSDs account for about 30 percent of lost time workplace illnesses and injuries. In fact, the direct costs of injuries owed to overexertion with an outside source (lifting, pushing, turning, pulling, throwing, catching) hit $13.7 billion in 2018, equal to 23 percent of the overall national burden.

Exoskeletons are designed to support the lower back or joints during dynamic lifting, stooped working postures, static load holding and general support. Many studies have measured muscle activity, spinal loading, effort and muscle fatigue. They have found that:

• Passive devices assisting with dynamic lifting reduce muscle activity by between 10 and 40 percent, reduce spinal loading by between 23 and 29 percent, and reduce overall muscle fatigue.
• Passive devices that help with static trunk bending can reduce muscle activity by between 10 and 25 percent and spinal loading by between 12 and 13 percent.

Workplace injuries affect the health of employees as well as the company’s bottom line. When there are fewer workers are injured on the job, there’s not as much need to hire and train people to fill in for those who are recuperating.

Every company’s risks are unique. That’s why it’s possible for different companies to work with manufacturers to design exoskeletons encompassing features addressing their precise needs. 

How We Help

The exoskeletons designed at Ekso Bionics solve three main problems in the workplace: 

• Fatigue 
• Injury (caused by fatigue — usually shoulder, sprains, etc.)
• Productivity (hindered by fatigue)

Fatigue is the top issue we rectify with our technology, as it can impact a variety of other workplace aspects. When a worker is fatigued, they are not as productive, and costly mistakes can happen, not to mention safety risks. Fatigue, which threatens the output your company can achieve, must be addressed first. Our exoskeletons for sale can solve that problem.

Contact Ekso Bionics

Ekso Bionics can help solve your heavy lifting issues at work with our exoskeletons for sale. To learn more, contact us at 510-984-1761.