The exoskeleton is increasingly starting to find its way onto the industrial shop floor. Just the other day, for example, we wrote about Ford, which introduced the external skeleton to its factories. It is also becoming a serious option for many entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, as a joint knowledge session in Helmond recently showed.
On Wednesday 29 August, 40 entrepreneurs gathered at Sunrise Medical in Helmond to learn about 'the exo-skeleton'. An exo-skeleton, or external skeleton, supports and strengthens the body where it is loaded. The result? Less drop-out, higher productivity and a greater chance of sustainable employability. More and more manufacturing companies are introducing the exo-skeleton in the workplace, most recently Ford did so in all its factories worldwide. The video below shows how this works:
The issue around higher productivity and sustainability is important for many entrepreneurs, says Ton Hagelstein, project leader of Learning Life, which organises these meetings. 'During our Connected Learning meetings, SMEs learn from the knowledge and practical experiences of other companies that are pioneers within a particular theme. We also look at the possibilities of cooperation with education and the government. It is nice that we are doing this together with Brainport. This way, we offer companies from the Keyport region access to Brainport's business network'.
Robotisation and automation
There will be another meeting on Sensoring (IoT) for the manufacturing industry on 3 October at The Innovation Playground in Roermond and on 31 October on Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Digital Twin at Blue Tea in Ittervoort.
Apply via the links below:
Wednesday 3 October Sensoring (Internet of Things) in the Manufacturing Industry, Roermond
Wednesday 31 October Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Digital Twin, Ittervoort
The meeting on the exo-skeleton will be repeated this year at a company in the Keyport region. An exo-skeleton is especially useful in manufacturing, logistics, agribusiness and automotive companies. Think of order pickers or car mechanics, people who have to lift a lot or are bent over. The exo-skeleton supports the joints and puts much less strain on the back.
Get to work yourself
At the meeting on 29 August, participants were able to try out the exoskeleton for themselves. You could see how it was applied in practice at Sunrise Medical,world leader in the design and manufacture of manual and power wheelchairs, mobility scooters. And those who were really interested could sign up for a trial period. Then you can try out the exo-skeleton for a few months within your own company under expert guidance. During this trial period, extensive testing and evaluation take place. There are already five companies that want to start using it concretely.
Source: Keyport2020
