Exo-skeletons: The next big thing in Personal Protective Equipment.

The first time I heard about exo-skeletons, Lieutenant Ripley was fighting aliens to save human live.

Sigourney Weaver was wearing a not very comfortable, but functional exo-skeleton, and it was of course very useful to keep aliens away. It was the 80’s, and Alien invasion was a point in the agenda of every decision maker.

For several years exo-skeletons took a back seat on the tools development sector as alien invasion matter losses interest, for different reasons: If it was about killing people just for fun, humans have demonstrated to be better than aliens when it comes to human live annihilation; If it was about a new place to live, from an alien perspective must be better places to invade, seeing how we care of the Planet. Nobody expects aliens to come anymore.

However, nowadays looks like a second chance for exo-skeletons is arising.

Apart from their suitability on fighting aliens, clearly demonstrated, some other new functionalities are coming up. New technology developments in materials, electronics, engines or batteries make it possible.

Leaving aside medical and military applications, there is an interesting future for exo-skeletons in the field of safety.

Several companies, just by themselves or in collaboration with partners as Tech Centers or Engineering Universities, are developing their own solutions to provide workers with more capabilities in physically demanding tasks, like heavy weights movement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTRUoanbYjU#action=share

Nowadays there are a few differences with those first exo-skeletons. Basically new models are focus on particular functions. There is not a great general solution, but many different solutions for every distinct situation, providing the appropriate support required by the operator when developing a particular task.

Exo-skeletons are a very relevant part of the next generation of PPE’s, together with some other new aplications, like sensors for example.

Exo skeletons provide two main functions:

In one side, exo-skeletons permit operator to move heavy weights. Of course every workshop already have the appropriate tools and machinery to move heavy weights according to their particular needs, but these tools are limited, slow, heavy, usually are taken up, and they operate in a limited area. Wearing an exo-skeleton allow the operator to move all around the workshop, carrying heavy weights and/or volumes in a very simple manner, without depending on the availability of specific tools or machines.

The second functionality is even more relevant: Exo skeletons are protecting workers of the cumulative impact in muscles and joints due to repetitive movements, a relevant cause for medical leave. Some efforts considered individually are not excessively demanding, but cause an accumulative impact when repeated several times every day.

In terms of muscle fatigue and joints damage, impact of repetitive works are one of the higher risks in yards and workshops tasks.

Exo-skeletons can be (must be) tailor-made for every task; we can already find special solutions for activities carried out in forced or uncomfortable positions, such as arms above the shoulders. When executing tasks in some positions, operators are exposed to different risks as fatigue or joints and muscles damage.

Exo-skeletons are the solution in some of this cases, as they provide support to muscles and articulations in those uncomfortable positions.

And that’s what exo-skeletons have been doing all this time, they have been evolving from a big multipurpose machine that can effectively battle any alien, to small, comfortable, easy to wear devices, providing the user with extra capability in particular tasks.

Some exo-skeletons are little more than a belt to fit a battery and a restraint system to provide support to arms or legs, equipped with small electric engines. The restraint system is usually articulated to permit all the natural movements, what provides functionality and comfort.

There are, of course, some more complex exo-skeletons for those situations where extra functionality is required. In fact there are already a wide range of solutions available, and surely, more to come.

Yet, the question remains whether these new solutions will be implemented into the Personal Protection directive (You are not a PPE until you are regulated as a PPE) by regulatory authorities, first by European Administration and then transposed to the legal systems of the Member States.