Ottobock is a German prosthetics company founded in 1919 after World War 1.
The company first fabricated prostheses for war victims,
then for paralympians. They are now creating bionic exoskeletons for everyday use. Their
wearable technology protects workers in various industries: automotive, railway, aviation,
shipyards, construction and logistics. Studies have shown that employees in logistics
miss up to 32 days of work per year due to workplace injuries.
This has resulted in an economic loss of over $50 billion annually. I recently
visited Ottobock’s facility in Austin Texas to try their Paexo Back and Shoulder exoskeletons.
These are purely mechanical or passive devices that do not use an external power source.
The Paexo Back is fairly easy to put on. It has 2 shoulder straps, a hip belt, chest strap
and two thigh straps. It weighs only 4.5 kgs or 10 lbs
When custom fit to your body, it takes less than 20 seconds to put on and take off.
It fits both men and women and is individually adaptable to S M L XL sizes.
It is made of various materials like aluminum, titanium, carbon and plastic. It is lightweight and unobtrusive
A mechanical clutch at hip level can be turned to differentiate between walking and lifting.
You can also adjust the degree of support for different loads
It works on a biomechanical principle. When you bend over to pick up an object,
load is taken off at the shoulder and transferred to the thighs and legs via bars.
Energy is stored in an expander-spring. It absorbs force when bending, releases it when lifting,
I felt an energy boost when straightening up.
It also corrected my posture and kept my spine straight.
When I turned the hip clutch off and lifted one of those 20 lb boxes,
I felt a big difference in the weight.
Since it is only mechanical and not battery powered, it works without an external power
source, and doesn't need to be charged. It can provide relief of up to 55lbs/25kg.
It protects the lower back and spine, prevents injury to muscles and discs
and reduces stress and fatigue. All the fabric pieces are removable, washable, and reusable.
Because of the custom fit, it cannot be easily shared between workers.
Companies can rent 3 Paexo Back systems for 6 weeks for $3900
Or you can purchase one for $6900 I can see how this exoskeleton would be extremely
helpful to workers that have to repeatedly lift heavy loads like airport baggage loaders,
delivery workers and nurses. One of my family members is a nurse who has severe back pain
from years of lifting patients. This Paexo Back system could have prevented her health issues.
Next, I tried on the Paexo Shoulder.
This one was easier and more intuitive than the first exoskeleton I tried on.
It has two shoulder straps, one hip strap, a chest strap and two arm supports.
After unhooking the magnetic closure, I pulled the arm cuff down, strapped it tight.
It transfers a portion of the arm weight to the pelvis through a hip belt.
A support bar and arm bar that are connected through a hinge joint
A passive spring actuator generates support torque in this joint.
The lack of rigid components allows you to freely move your arms and upper body.
It weighs only 1.9 kgs or 4 lbs It can also be adjusted to different body sizes.
Raised arms are held up by an innovative expander tech
It is best for overhead work as it relieves strain on the shoulder joints and upper arms,
This drill felt almost weightless when I held it upwards.
It can be used during neurosurgical operations, for overhead work on assembly lines,
painting ceilings, sanding, drywalling, electrical installation and plaster construction.
Just like the Paexo Shoulder, it is a purely mechanical or passive system that doesn’t require
any external power source. Ottobock also makes
Paexo thumb that protects the tip of the thumb against mechanical influences. It comes in 7
different sizes and costs $450 or 400 euros Paexo Wrist bridges and protects wrists when
holding welding equipment, installation generators, etc. It costs $170 or 150 euros
Paexo soft back supports the lower spine when standing during extended assembly tasks.
It costs $280 or 250 euros
Paexo neck relieves the neck region and cervical spine. It also costs $280 or 250 euros
When I posted a photo of this exoskeleton on the YouTube community page, many people were
skeptical and said that it might allow assembly line workers or Amazon packagers to be exploited.
I’m not as cynical about it, because I think it has a lot of potential in various
industries. It can reduce workplace injuries and insurance claims, improve productivity,
and help us transition to robotic automation. The 2 systems I tried are cheaper and lighter
than active, battery powered exoskeletons but they are not as powerful. Some souped up exoskeletons
by other manufacturers can make 10 lbs feel as light as 5 pounds. Another disadvantage is
the clunkiness of the Paexo Back. It feels awkward and takes a while to get used to.
The Paexo Shoulder has rods that can snag on fabric and wires. I hope they’re able to make
it more discreet in the future. I was told that there’s a huge psychological barrier to overcome.
While a disabled person is grateful for an improvement to their condition,
an able-bodied person despises anything that impedes natural movement. Exoskeletons
seem cool and futuristic, but their novelty can quickly wear off if they are a hindrance.
Lastly, these exoskeletons are not used by top level executives, they are used by people on lower
levels of the food chain. It’s not my intention to insult or offend anyone, I’m just being realistic.
Companies are not likely to invest thousands of dollars on “grunt workers” even though their
work is vital. That being said, Hilti has teamed up with Ottobock on their
Exo-01 shoulder support exoskeleton to reduce physical strain on construction workers.
Overall I’m really excited to see more players in the construction industry
embrace this technology. A big thank you to Samuel Reimer and Alex Safaya who organized my visit to
the Ottobock offices in Austin. Let me know what you think about the future of this product in the
comments below. I’ll link my Patreon page in the description. If you can support me,
I’d really appreciate it. A big thank you to everyone already supporting me. Don’t
forget to hit the like button and subscribe to my channel. Thanks for watching. See ya.