Ford is pioneering a new technology that aims to keep workers safe in their manufacturing warehouses. The EksoVest is a new invention that is supposed to relieve stress and reduce injury risk while workers put together cars and trucks. The vest, which has been tested in 15 plants across 7 different countries, adds support below the arms. The goal is to make it easier for employees to perform overhead tasks. Considering many employees spend their days beneath the car on a lift reaching up with a power tool to screw in the car’s brace, the EksoVest will relieve all that strain and tension that builds up.
The design, by Ekso Labs, adds 15 pounds of support to each arm. With the growth of the bionics industry on the rise, analysts expect that the exoskeleton market could grow by $1.8 billion by the year 2025. Not only will that industry go, but Ford and other car companies that adopt this technology could save loads of money on injury suits by reducing risk.
Watch the full player above to hear interviews of workers and how the new invention is making work in the factories less dangerous and painful.
