CBC [ CBC News: The National]. (2018). A bionic vest decreases fatigue and prevents injury | The Fix [Video]. YouTube.
Bionic vests improve and facilitate working conditions for workers in Ford factories. This video describes the features of operation, the pros and cons of specific bionic vests. Based on the facts provided in the video, vests operate without a particular power source. The principle of operation is based only on mechanical movement, which makes it possible to lighten the load on the worker’s body qualitatively. The device operator who is being interviewed says that the vest helps him qualitatively. Despite the small load from one cycle of production activities, their constant repetition can be painful. The load on the body only increases, and the tension in the muscles and the body accumulates. In this case, the bionic vest allows you to perform cycles of actions, transferring the load to the device. The video also says that the machine is still costly despite the above advantages.
Ekso Bionics, Inc. (2018). EksoVest operator manual.
Manual describing the components, features, and working principle of EksoVest, manufactured and developed by Ekso Bionics, inc. This source, which is a manual for the operation of bionic EksoVest, describes the features and equipment of the device. Each EksoVest is made up of the hardware, as mentioned earlier, components, and properly balanced soft products. Each operator selects the soft products that match their vest using the sizing tables and matrix. The customized delicate items are sewn on the vest’s chest, waist, and arm cuff plates by the operator. EksoVest can aid with lifts of 5 to 15 pounds. The vest’s modular design allows it to accommodate a wide range of body shapes, with sizes ranging from 5’2 to 6’4 feet.
Jones, D. (2018). Ford rolls out largest adoption of exoskeleton technology to date. Design Engineering.
This article describes Ford’s use of EksoVest, developed and manufactured by Ekso Bionics, inc. Ford Motor Company is implementing 75 upper-body exoskeletons across 15 plants in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Romania, and China, in what is believed to be the largest deployment of the technology to date. EksoVest technology from Ekso Bionics is used by Ford to provide continuous structural protection for personnel conducting overhead duties that require them to reach upwards for lengthy periods of time. Ekso was researching application usage at about the same time that Ford was trying to implement exoskeletons in its workforce; as a result, the two companies formed an agreement. The cooperation got off after an early version received excellent feedback from Ford, according to Ekso, and the car giant supplied lots of essential comments. According to Kevin Dacey, Ford provided a testing environment and essential feedback on design ideas, a Sr. Mechanical Engineer at Ekso Bionics.
At the same time, Ekso Bionics gave iterations to fulfill the needs coming from their workforce. A lightweight, comfortable upper-body exoskeleton was created due to the partnership between the two companies. This machine provides a significant amount of lift during overhead activities, reducing the risk of shoulder muscle injury and strain. The EksoVest is powered by a passive spring-driven actuator at each shoulder during a lift, which gives torque to the user’s arms. The actuator activates when the user lifts their arm, creating tension in both arms and permitting the EksoVest to provide 5-15lbs of movement support, depending on which spring is used. With sizes ranging from 5’2 to 6’4, the vest’s modular construction allows it to fit various body types. According to the report, the EksoVEST is entirely mechanical and does not require any electrical or battery power to perform FES treatment.
References
CBC [ CBC News: The National]. (2018). A bionic vest decreases fatigue and prevents injury | The Fix [Video]. YouTube.
Ekso Bionics, Inc. (2018). EksoVest operator manual.
Jones, D. (2018). Ford rolls out largest adoption of exoskeleton technology to date. Design Engineering.