Robotic exoskeletons help Ford employees build cars worldwide

By Bruce Brown Published April 25, 2023

1 of 5

ford workers exoskeleton vests 1 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

ford workers exoskeleton vests 3 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

ford workers exoskeleton vests 2a — Image used with permission by copyright holder

ford workers exoskeleton vests 4 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

ford workers exoskeleton vests 5a — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ford assembly line workers have a new exoskeleton vest that helps with lifting and holding car parts overhead. The EksoVest wearable reduces wear and tear on employee’s bodies, Ford Motor Company announced.

Recommended Videos

After testing in two Michigan vehicle assembly plants, employees in 15 Ford factories in seven countries are now wearing the exoskeleton vests to reduce fatigue and injury.

Developed in partnership with Ekso Bionics, Ford’s new wearable lifts and supports assembly workers’ arms while the employees reach up to perform tasks with power tools. A typical task for an EksoVest-wearing worker would be securing a car’s brace by screwing in bolts while the vehicle is overhead.

More on robotic exosuits

“Building vehicles is physically a tough job,” said Bruce Hettle, Ford group vice president, Manufacturing and Labor Affairs. “We care about our employees and are trying to help them do their jobs with the least amount of wear and tear on their bodies possible.”

The exoskeleton vest helps lift and support from five to 15 pounds per arm and can be worn by workers who range from 5-foot 2-inches to 6-foot 4-inches tall.

According to Ford, vest-wearing workers during testing at the company’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, and Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, provided helpful feedback. The employee input was used to refine the EksoVest before the worldwide rollout.

Assembly line workers at the test locations reported that the lightweight vests were comfortable and did not restrict movement.

Nick Gotts, an employee who was part of the Flat Rock Assembly Plant test group, expressed his enthusiasm for the robotic technology.

“I don’t want the EksoVest to ever leave,” Gotts said. “Any job that’s overhead, I wouldn’t work without it.”

Ford’s press release announcing EksoVest global deployment underscored the automaker’s continuing focus on technology that can keep the assembly lines rolling by reducing employee fatigue, injury, and discomfort. “Since 2005, incidents in Ford’s global facilities that resulted in lost time fell 75 percent; the 2018 incident rate was one of the lowest on record.”

Ekso Bionics views the robotic wearable’s global rollout as a “major step forward” in enhancing workforce well-being “At Ekso, our mission is to augment human capability with wearable technology and robotics that help people rethink current physical limitations and achieve the remarkable,” said Ekso Bionics president and CEO Jack Peurach.

Former Contributing Editor

Bruce Brown Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…

Topics

Cars

Order an Uber and a self-driving Mustang might show up

Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone

Ordering an Uber in London could come with a surprise today. Instead of a conventional car and driver pulling up, you might find a Ford Mustang Mach-E that can drive itself. Uber has launched London's first public robotaxi service in partnership with British autonomous driving company Wayve. The service is available through the Uber app, meaning you don't need to download anything new or book a special type of ride to try it.

There is one important caveat. Although the cars will handle the driving themselves, a trained safety operator will initially sit behind the wheel, ready to intervene if necessary. Fully driverless rides are planned for a later stage. The launch fleet consists of electric Mustang Mach-Es equipped with cameras, radar, and Wayve's AI Driver technology. These systems give the vehicle a 360-degree view of what's happening around it. And if anywhere can put that technology through its paces, London seems like a pretty good candidate.

Cars

Range Rover Electric arrives with 543hp, 600km range, and a starting price of the moon

The electric Range Rover is here, and your wallet may need CPR

Range Rover EV

The Range Rover has never been shy about luxury, size or price, and its first fully electric version is carrying that tradition into the EV era. Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) first battery-electric Range Rover is now open for orders, starting at £154,070, or about $208,420. That makes it one of the most expensive electric SUVs on the market.

The electric model costs almost £50,000 more than the standard combustion-engine Range Rover. It is priced in the same territory as the electric Mercedes-Benz G 580 and not far from ultra-luxury gasoline SUVs such as the Bentley Bentayga.

Cars

A solar ambulance has successfully tackled 500 miles of difficult terrain

Stella Juva

For years, solar-powered vehicles have largely lived in the world of prototypes, university projects and ambitious demonstrations. Now, one has completed the kind of test that matters far more than a flashy concept reveal: it drove hundreds of miles through difficult terrain while carrying medical equipment and generating enough electricity to operate independently.

Called Stella Juva, the vehicle was developed by Solar Team Eindhoven, a group of 23 students from Eindhoven University of Technology and two other educational institutions. According to a CNN report, the team describes it as the world's first solar ambulance. Unlike a conventional ambulance, however, Stella Juva is designed less to rush patients to hospitals and more to bring medical care to people who cannot easily reach it.