Credit: Daewoo

Everybody has been in a situation when we wish we had stronger arms or, even better, an extra pair of them. Whether it is attaching something large overhead or manipulating something heavy, we all know we are bound to run into the limitations of our own anatomical design. In some professions, such as construction work, these difficulties can surface practically every day. To make physical drudgery less stressful and traumatic, researchers around the globe are now developing a new kind of robots that will be worn on the body just like your regular backpack.

Wearable robotics flourishes on the collaboration between the human and the machine and has a huge potential in all kinds of physically challenging work. This idea has already been put to test by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, one of the biggest shipbuilders in the world. Korean shipyards have long been known for their high degree of automatisation. Now it appears the Korean company has decided to go one step further.

The company has developed a wearable exoskeleton that allows workers to carry huge pieces of metal and other heavy components with no or little effort. The exoskeleton weighs around 30 kg, none of which, however, is felt by the wearer since the suit is designed to support itself and follow the wearer’s movements.

Credit: Daewoo

The prototype can lift and precisely manipulate objects with a mass of up to 30 kg. The test has demonstrated that this technology can indeed help workers with their daily tasks, although those who had a chance to take part in the test run say they would like to be able to move faster and lift even heavier weights – a goal the research team is already working towards: the current research target is an exoskeleton that can lift up to 100 kg and be used on a daily basis at shipyard facilities.

Another example of how wearable robots can literally give a hand to future workers comes from the MIT’s d’Arbeloff Laboratory for Information Systems and Technology. The lab is working on a pair of lightweight robotic arms attached to a backpack that are envisioned to assist people with those tasks where our two arms are just not enough.

The project called SRL (Supernumerary Robot Limbs) is supported by Boeing and was recently used in a demo that involved installing ceiling panels in an airplane, a highly repetitive task that is difficult to perform on your own. By pushing the panels against the ceiling, the device can alleviate the worker from the necessity of simultaneously holding the panel, inserting the screws and using the screwdriver to attach it.

Watch the video below to see the prototype in action.

Having spent almost ten years in a wheelchair after a car crash left her paralysed below the chest, Sophie Morgan was finally able to stand on her feet and walk again. What got her out of the wheelchair was not some kind of groundbreaking therapy, but a robotic exoskeleton developed by the New Zealand-based company Rex Bionics.

Rex Personal is controlled by a joystick embedded in its armrests and, unlike the majority of alternatives available today, does not require crutches to keep balance. Although making the exoskeleton bulkier and slower, this feature, in fact, changes the experience entirely, since Sophie and other users now can use their hands to accomplish everyday activities without worrying about loosing stability. “Once I stand up, I want to be able to do things. I want to be able to enjoy the benefit of actually being standing,” explains Sophie.

Apart from the obvious improvements in quality of life, such as increased mobility, the very experience of getting out of the wheelchair entails a whole range of physiological and phycological benefits like the ability to be closer to people, to talk to them eye to eye and, of course, to hug them and be hugged.

You can also read this post to learn about another type of exoskeletons such as Rewalk from ARGO Medical Technologies. 

The exoskeleton, named Rewalk was developed by ARGO Medical Technologies. The equipment is supposedly quite light to wear considering it includes: actuation motors, motion sensors, a computer system and rechargeable batteries. Walking is controlled through subtle changes in the user’s center of gravity; a slight lean in one direction causes forward motion. The suit’s actuation motors are located on the user’s natural joints so movement is made as naturally and intuitively as possible although crutches must also be used to maintain stability.

The video above shows some of Claire’s pre-race training sessions. Although it’s still very challenging, she’s made fast progress using the technology; ¨To start with I just had to find my balance without wobbling,¨ states Claire in an article by the BBC. Her hard work has paid off and she is now covering an average of over 2 km a day.The Marathon started on April 22nd but Claire kept at it, raising over 60,000 euro for the charity Spinal Research by the time she reached the finish line on May 8th.

Watch the video below by Cyclone Technologies to see an interview with another ReWalk user, John Dawson-Ellis.