newatlas.com: Earlier this year, California-based suitX announced what it claimed was the world's most affordable mobility exoskeleton, the Phoenix. Designed for disabled users, it utilizes motors to move their legs for them. Now, the company has unveiled a non-motorized product that could make a lot of other peoples' lives easier – it's time to meet MAX, or the Modular Agile Exoskeleton.
15 comments:
I have always wanted to try on an exoskeleton for the day, especially these less invasive and not computerized models. I feel like they would just be a helping hand for otherwise uncomfortable and strenuous tasks. For me, the biggest mechanism benefit would come from the shoulder, as I have an injured/bum shoulder and doing anything overhead while on a lift or ladder is just exhausting and often I don’t trust myself to take heavy loads in these positions. Something I would like to see in the industry somewhere would be an exoskeleton specifically for riggers, one that could be in lieu of or interface with a harness that would allow for the worker to be clipped in, but also aid in strenuous movement and maybe even help stabilize and balance people like me who struggle with not squirming at higher heights. Ultimately, I don’t know if exoskeletons will become mainstream, but they definitely are cool.
It is nice that companies are working on a way to help support people’s bodies when they do repetitive work on the same joints all the time. However, I am hesitant to get behind this product though. It seems very bulky and obnoxious. I’m sure it is heavy on it’s own so does it add more stress to the body? I guess this article didn’t really explain how the suit works and that doesn’t make me feel any better. The clip only showed brief uses of the suit but I feel there is more to it than just 5 second looks at each task. I want to hear from these people on how it feels and does it feel like it is supporting them? Maybe this article is supposed to be a diving board for people to go to the actual site and read more about this suit. After I say all this I am still thankful they are working towards help like this because some jobs are tough on their workers.
Transhumanism seems to be on the rise in the technology sector, with augmentation being the natural next step in human evolution thanks to huge leaps in tech and increasing drive by humanity to push the limits of what is possible. I had read a few months back about the version of the exosuit that was able to help disabled people walk, but this takes it to a whole new level by supporting the bodies of workers in the industrial sector that have to spend the vast majority of their days putting immense strain on their bodies. This could easily translate to the theatrical sector, especially on the technical side where electricians spend all day hauling lights throughout load ins or on the fly rail where people are throwing thousands of pounds of weight in a day. The one thing that makes my ears ring is that the suit just remains passive when you aren't triggering any of it's mechanisms and that the user can just continue to go about their day, since, by virtue of wearing a bulky exoskeleton, you won't be able to just go about your day. For this technology to truly take off, it has to be easily equippable and removable.
This is cool, and I’d certainly like to try one on. There’s no doubt that this kind of technology has the potential to be very useful to those who work with their hands and bodies often, but there are a few questions that I have that the article didn’t even attempt to shed light on. First off, how heavy is this thing? Second off, if it isn’t motorized, how does it help you lift anything? Are there some sort of spring mechanisms that make it easier to push/pull? And lastly, how much does it cost? For some reason I feel like those who would most benefit from a product like this wouldn’t want to sink their money into an overly expensive exoskeleton when they can do the work just fine (although in a little more paint) without the skeleton. Until the technology becomes affordable to the point where those who would utilize it see the value in investing in the product, or until we get to a place as a society where this type of technology is viewed as another form of PPE like safety glasses and hardhats (and I’m not sure if that’s exactly the attitude we want about these types of things) so that the employer provides it for the worker, I just don’t see these becoming widespread. It’s very cool that the technology is being developed though, hopefully it crosses that boundary sooner rather than later.
This does seem super cool. However, maybe it is just me, but I find this to also be super over the top and unnecessary. Do not get me wrong, I am all for doing whatever needs to be done in the means of safety. The question I would like to pose is, when do we cross the line of having too much safety protocol. What I mean by this, I feel like we are undermining people’s common sense. Yes, I know common sense is not all that common. However, if you are going to be stupid and unsafe while working on a call that is your own problem. I feel like all the current things being done to make sure people are safe on the job are working fairly well, and are easy to do (and remember to do). Do we need to reinvent the wheel?
Must be able to lift 50 pounds. There has been some controversy over that job posting requirement. Many groups feel that it is sexist, or ablist, to them I would reply, so what do you want up to do? Not have those jobs anymore? Hire regardless of ability to lift heavy things? Well, at present, robots are not good enough to be able to do all of those jobs for us, and hiring without regard for skill would quickly degenerate into a dystopia. This, however might be an answer. It would be unreasonable to assume that people not able to do the work unassisted will get one of these things, and it is only slightly more palatable to think that companies should be forced to provide this technology to people not able to do the work, and have to hire blind. If we cant get over the fact that some people will be better at doing certain things, even if it is only because they were born male or abled, then I don’t know what we are going to do.
Ok this exoskeleton looks amazing. The fact that it only engages when you are doing something particularly strenuous or repetitive is interesting and I can image that it is actually more helpful than something that is working all the time. If there is never a moment when you are using your own muscles, they can get weaker, which wouldn’t be good. But having this exoskeleton be able to take the extra strain can keep your body functioning normally after year of hard work. How many contractors and factory workers hurt their knees through standing all day, or shoulders from doing the same motion all the time, or any of the long term injuries this exoskeleton can help prevent? This is going to help a lot of people which is really exciting. Though, while reading this article, I suddenly got worried that this could be used to make people work longer hours because they don’t tire as fast and don’t get hurt as often. And while we do have unions in place that can prevent that, not everyone around the world is protected like us. It’s a bit of a scary thought and a downer in light of how cool and helpful this thing is.
This product does seem pretty interesting, though I do not know how necessary it is. I understand that it relieves some stress on your muscles and bones, but it seems very bulky and a little over the top. This article did not really give a lot of detail on how it actually works to make lifting things easier. I am more interested in the possibility of an exoskeleton like this to help people with disabilities. I feel like it is more important to help people who cannot walk or have difficulty walking, try and use an exoskeleton to do daily activities such as walking around. I thought this article was going to go into more detail about that especially since the product was called MAX and that is my brother’s name and he is in a wheelchair and cannot walk. It would be awesome if he could possibly use something like this one day, even though that is probably unlikely considering his disability.
This is cool technology, or non tech, just engineering? Anyway, the second I saw it I thought it was geared towards disabled people and having an exoskeleton that can move their limbs for them, which I guess I missed that article as this is a version of the skeleton that developed from that. I think it maybe a little over the top and unnecessary, I can't see anyone wearing that on a job sight. It claims to be neutral when the wearer is walking, however I would imagine that it weights a lot and that added weight would effect the easy tasks. I also hope that it has been fully tested because I know that in a construction work based environment that situations can be dangerous and I can't imagine how terrible it would be if the skeleton stopped someone from running away or catching something etc. I think that the market team does have a good strategy is advertising it as a injury prevention, which is the intention, but I really don't know how much I believe that it prevents injuries. It might stop you from straining a muscle, but any other injuries I does not look like it can fend off well at all. I do hope that it catches on though because I think it would quiet amusing seeing people walk around wearing a robot skeleton.
As someone with chronic joint pain at a young age,and who still needs to be able to make a living here I will most likely be expected to do fair amount of physical work this exoskeleton is is a interesting to me. While it does seem fairly bulky to me, if this product would be able to help alleviate some of the stress that many who work in physical activity fields it would be worth its weight in gold. Cause making steps towards preventing injuries due to repeated stress to the body is far cheaper and safer than the surgeries to fix said injuries. In all a fairly interesting product especially if they manage to stream line the frame a bit.
This seems like a really cool idea. I actually believe their claim that in its neutral state it doesn’t impede the movement of whoever is wearing it and that it can be worn comfortable for long periods of time. Mainly because it looks like it stays close enough to the body and moves smoothly enough that it wouldn’t catch on things around the wearer as they move around. I’m sure it takes some getting used to but any new piece of equipment is like that. That being said I don’t know if I agree with the article title that this is taking injury protection to the max (granted it is a clever play on the products name). Right now it just protects against repetitive motions and lifting too much although it can be integrated with other safety gear. I’d like to see them build the other safety gear into from the beginning in future models. Perhaps making a model that can also act as a fall prevention harness and is sturdy enough to protect against impacts.
From what I can tell, it looks like the system uses springs and locks to support the user's arms back or legs when performing repetitive tasks. I think this can definitely cut down on repetitive stress injuries, particularly for those doing drywall ceiling installations and the like. I'm definitely more interested in this company's foray into powered Eco-skeletons, which have always been a fascination of mine. It seems to me that the main problem of powered exoskeletons is the anticipation and proper starting and stopping of movement. If we're dealing with something like the power loader from Aliens, we're talking about some serious hydraulic power that can break an arm and even take it off. All I really want to do is lift a car with my own hands without my arms breaking, or going the way of the failed experiments from Iron Man 2.
This is technology that industries requiring heavy lifting have been waiting to see for a long time. One of the several drawbacks to manual labor is the toll that takes on your body. People don’t see an immediate effect but if you don’t take care of your temple it can really set you back later in life. The technology truly seems to be revolutionary for many industries arose the globe and I really hope people will continue to develop it and enforce that it be worn. For some reason, after reading this article I get the idea of helmets. Helmets are a fantastic invention that has probably saved countless lives, yet people don’t wear them because they aren’t fashionable or will mess up your hair. Sounds stupid I realize but people don’t think about the long term effect and feel that they aren’t necessary. I hope people see the importance to wear protection like this and will invest in this groundbreaking invention.
I’m not quite convinced. The concept certainly looks interesting and beneficial but the thing just looks too awkward to wear for a full 8 hours every day of the week. Maybe I’m completely wrong and this thing is as light as a feather but allows you to jump tall buildings in a single bound. Unfortunately I just can’t tell by looking at it if the product actually is helping the person using it or simply forcing them to work harder in other ways to avoid some added stress on their body. I can’t imagine wearing that big backpack all day is particularly comfortable. Also does this thing have batteries? Do you have to wear the full poofy suits all of the people in the video did that look like full combat wear for soldiers? The amount of T-shirts I see on construction sites leads me to believe that might not happen.
There are quite a few things in life that everyone wishes they had to make their job just a little bit easier. While it is one thing to just see images of someone pick up a box that might have next to nothing in it. Which would make for some false advertising, but you still need to pick up an object the right way. As the saying goes pick up with your legs not with your back which you can see is demonstrated quite poorly in the first image. I don’t know if this is the result of the exoskeleton itself or just the user. While the lady in the last picture seems to be doing an easy enough job holding up a sheet good. I would have to try it out for myself to get a better idea of the type of work it can handle. Also, there might be a limiting factor in it as well in terms of the size of the person it can fit.
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