Exoskeletons: Trying to Make Fiction a Practical Reality
Who needs a forklift when you can just use an exoskeleton? Several innovators are trying to make those sci-fi styled suits a reality, including Hiromicho Fujimoto, president of ActiveLink, a small company in Japan. Via Industry Week:
Fujimoto, for one, recognized the need to enhance workers on the floor — and to suit them with the tech necessary to work harder and smarter — well before the turn of the century. The leg frames he created are designed more for disaster areas, allowing first responders an easier path through rubble or up steep inclines. But the backpack weight belts alleviate stress from the waist and hips while lifting heavy objects. They’re designed not to make workers stronger, but to ease the burden of tedious or monotonous work. And they seem perfect for factories.
