EVO from Ekso Bionics applies customer lessons to upper-body exoskeleton

Ekso Bionics Holdings Inc. today announced EVO, an upper-body exoskeleton designed to assist human workers with repetitive tasks. The Richmond, Calif.-based company said the wearable robot builds on its EksoVest technology.

Ekso Bionics was founded in 2005 and develops exoskeletons to support or enhance strength, endurance, and mobility across medical and industrial applications. The company claimed that it is the only exoskeleton provider that offers technologies ranging from helping people with paralysis to stand up and walk to enhancing human capabilities on job sites across the globe.

Assistive devices to alleviate worker stress

Shoulder injuries caused by overhead work, repetitive tasks, and over-exertion are the leading cause of lost workdays due to workplace injuries, said Ekso Bionics.

EVO is a passive, spring-loaded, upper-body exoskeleton that aids workers with overhead work. The device offers 5 to 15 lb. of lift assistance in each arm to elevate it. EVO is designed to reduce fatigue and shoulder and back muscle strain, with the goal of eliminating work-related injuries to the neck, shoulder, and back.

Ekso said its latest design advances make EVO suitable for a wide range of industrial, manufacturing, food processing, and construction applications.

EVO built on experience

Ekso Bionics said that it has reimagined its weight-assist exoskeleton technology based on the experiences in the field of collaborators and customers in global manufacturing and construction.

“Through working closely with our customers, we gained tremendous insights and feedback that help us evolve EVO to better meet their needs and provide a programmatic solution to some of their most complicated ergonomic problems,” stated Michael Pratt, vice president at Ekso Bionics.

EVO is lighter and more flexible than its predecessor, with an optimized human-machine interface that is cool and comfortable to wear for all-day use, said Ekso, which added that it is designed to be rugged and durable.

EVO’s novel design also incorporates Ekso’s new, patented, low-profile, multi-link structure, which tracks the natural movement of the body and allows for an unrestricted range of motion. It also incorporates a device architecture that is compatible with standard safety harnesses used in elevated work.

“By augmenting human capabilities, EVO was designed to relieve the burden on industrial workers and provide them with a technology solution that improves their quality of life,” Pratt said. “True to our mission, we are now offering a flexible acquisition model that will lower the capital barrier and allow more industrial workers access to the latest exoskeleton technology.”