Ford Motor (F) has rolled out a robotic exoskeleton vest from Ekso Bionics (EKSO) for its factory workers that promises to lessen the physical toll that building cars and trucks takes on their bodies.
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Ford's EksoVest helps to elevate and support a worker's arms, when screwing bolts on a car while standing underneath it, for example. It "provides lift assistance from five pounds to 15 pounds per arm," while reducing fatigue, injury and repetitive stress, according to the automaker.
Announcing the global rollout of this wearable exoskeleton technology, Ford highlighted its usefulness to assembly-line workers whose high-frequency tasks can resemble "lifting a bag of flour or a watermelon over your head up to 4,600 times a day."
Ford tested the EksoVest at two assembly plants in Michigan over the past year before the global rollout announced Tuesday.
It's now available to Ford employees in 15 plants and seven countries, including all of the carmaker's North American assembly plants.
Ford stock rose 0.5% on the stock market today while Ekso jumped 28% to 2.33.
'Iron Man' Exoskeleton Tech Spreads
Exoskeleton technology is a cutting-edge growth area in industrial and medical applications.
Aerospace and defense companies such as Lockheed Martin (LMT), Raytheon (RTN) and Huntington Ingalls (HII) have been developing exoskeleton suits for soldiers and shipbuilders, saying it can transform what the human body is physically capable of.
According to Ekso Bionics, exoskeletons can even help those with paralysis to stand up and walk. The remarkable results have earned frequent comparisons to the "Iron Man" comic book character, who wears a powered exoskeleton bodysuit.
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