Are exoskeletons the tool of the future for construction workers?

Technology in the construction industry is advancing at a rapid rate. The advent of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and the digital collaboration process that goes with it is revolutionising the construction industry.

Anybody attending Digital Construction Week will be able to attest to the wonderful application of technology in the name of making construction safer and more efficient.

UK Construction Online recently took a look at the Daqri Smart Helmet, combining augmented reality and site safety to increase productivity, efficiency and safety.

For fans of 80s sci-fi blockbuster, Aliens, Ekso Bionics exoskeleton will evoke memories of Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley doing anything the salty space marines can do in the cargo deck by engaging in heavy lifting through the use of a mechanical suit and ultimately dispatching the Alien Queen to save the day.

There is little doubt that working in the construction industry can be an extremely physical demanding occupation. Long hours on building sites can take its toll. Ekso Bionics has created an exoskeleton to help reduce the negative impact of undertaking repetitive activities over an extended period of time.

Founded in 2005 and based in California, Ekso Bionics has worked on exoskeletons for military and health applications.

The Company has developed powered suits to aid in the physical therapy for people who have suffered strokes or been involved in serious accidents. Over 4,000 people have used the suit as part of their rehabilitation process in learning to walk again.

It’s latest creation, however, will enhance rather than replace human capabilities: an exoskeleton suit aimed at the construction and industrial sectors.

The Company has hopes that the exoskeleton will become as familiar sight on construction sites as many of the more traditional large tools.

The lightweight suit does not have a conventional power source and instead utilises counterweights and a sprung arm. The ‘Zero G’ arm takes all the tool weight enabling workers to operate heavy tools without exerting themselves.

Tools than can be used in conjunction with the suit include large grinders; sanders and polishers; rivet busters and rotary hammers.

Nathan Harding, Ekso’s co-founder and CEO told Time magazine: “The industrial device goes back to our roots in military, because it uses a strategy we discovered working on military exoskeletons.

“We were worried about the fact that those exoskeletons were consuming so much power. We were able to develop a design, it’s an architecture of joints that inherently takes load, but it lets the person make natural motions that they need to do.”

It is no secret that the construction industry is experiencing a skills shortage. One wonders whether this technology could play a key role in tackling this issue.

Firstly, older construction workers might find that the use of such a suit could see them able to take on the more physical aspects of the job even when they reach an age when they normally expect to be winding down, thus prolonging their construction careers.

Also, it’s not difficult to imagine the next generation looking at such technology and being inspired to set out on a path for a career in construction.

It’s hard to imagine this piece of kit not being popular with workers, given it sets out to help them do their job rather than replace them.

From a health and safety aspect too, there would surely be a reduction in the number of lost working days due to fatigue, strain and other workplace related injuries.

Who’s to say that such a tool wouldn’t have a positive impact on diversity within the industry? How many women have been put off or denied a career in construction by the assumption they lack the physical strength. Such a unit could be a great leveller.

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