Robotic suit gives shipyard workers super strength

Workers building the world’s biggest ships could

soon don robotic exoskeletons to lug around 100-
kilogram hunks of metal as if they’re nothing AT A sprawling shipyard in South Korea, workers
dressed in wearable robotics were hefting large
hunks of metal, pipes and other objects as if they
were nothing. It was all part of a test last year by Daewoo
Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, at their facility
in Okpo-dong. The company, one of the largest
shipbuilders in the world, wants to take production
to the next level by outfitting staff with robot
exoskeletons that give them superhuman strength. Gilwhoan Chu, the lead engineer for the firm's
research and development arm, says the pilot
showed that the exoskeleton does help workers
perform their tasks. His team is working to improve
the prototypes so that they can go into regular use
in the shipyard, where robots already run a large portion of a hugely complex assembly system. The exoskeleton fits anyone between 160 and 185
centimetres tall. Workers do not feel the weight of
its 28-kilogram frame of carbon, aluminium alloy
and steel, as the suit supports itself and is
engineered to follow the wearer's movements. With
a 3-hour battery life, the exoskeleton allows users to walk at a normal pace and, in its prototype form, it can lift objects with a mass of up to 30 kilograms. To don the exoskeleton, workers start by
strapping their feet on to foot pads at the base of
the robot. Padded straps at the thigh, waist and
across the chest connect the user to the suit,
allowing the robot to move with their bodies as it
bears loads for them. A system of hydraulic joints and electric motors running up the outside of the
legs links to a backpack, which powers and
controls the rig. Frames designed for individual tasks can be
attached to the backpack, with some arcing over a
person's head like a small crane. As well as
boosting raw lifting ability, the suit helps workers
manipulate heavy components precisely: it takes
most of the weight, so the user is effectively handling light objects. Chu says worker feedback from the trial has been
mostly positive. Testers were pleased that the
exoskeleton let them lift heavy objects repeatedly
without strain, but everyone also wanted it to move
faster and be able to cope with heavier loads. Chu is
working on it. "Our current research target of the lifting capacity is about 100 kilograms," he says