Exoskeletons

Trend Overview

Impact:

Low

Adoption:

< 5 Years

Focus Areas:

Health, Safety & Future of Work

Trend Clusters:

Bionic Enhancements

Sectors:

The trend of Exoskeletons involves wearable devices built to support or enhance human physical capabilities. While passive exoskeletons absorb energy from movements and relinquish power when support is needed, active devices are externally powered and can sense and react to specific movements of the human body.

With over 1.7 billion people affected worldwide, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common work-related health issues. Originating from the healthcare and military industries, exoskeletons appeared on the market for industrial use in logistics more than a decade ago, aiming to reduce the occurrence of MSDs in the workplace.

Since then, performance, usability, and comfort of wear have improved in both active and passive industrial exoskeletons. Also, within the last two years, cost has further decreased, with providers standardizing their products and scaling up production.

The exoskeleton market is expected to continue growing; industrial exoskeleton shipments are projected to reach 181 million units in 2030, resulting in US$ 2.2 billion revenue. A 2023 study shows more than half of these products are deployed in the manufacturing sector, and others in construction, the energy sector, agriculture, and mining.

While the trend of Exoskeletons will likely have only minor impact on efficiency gains within supply chain operations, the technology is widely understood to positively impact employee health and safety, leading to higher employee satisfaction and retention rates.

Facing an aging workforce and growing labor shortages, exoskeletons that can reduce physical strain on the human body have become a topic of interest for logistics organizations seeking to limit the particularly high sick leave rates per full-time equivalent (FTE) affecting the industry. In addition, the implementation of exoskeletons in operations could provide differentiation to attract and retain labor.

However, large-scale deployments have yet to be seen. This is mostly because currently available devices typically offer support only for specific sets of movement, limiting their application to niche use cases. Also, proof of efficacy is lacking; there are no long-term studies of large-scale deployments to provide evidence of the expected health and safety-related benefits as well as talent attraction and retention benefits.

Different Types of Industrial Exoskeletons

Source: DHL (2024)

Relevance to the Future of Logistics

Tasks with Frequent Bending & Lifting

Lower back pain is the main contributor to musculoskeletal burdens and among the most common workplace injuries and illnesses – the leading cause of disability in 160 countries worldwide. This results in days and even weeks away from work per employee.

Manual handling activities are among the main risk factors for lower back pain, and employees involved in this type of work, frequently lifting items, can benefit from using exoskeletons specifically designed for lower back support. Key for the technology to be able to provide support is that a bending movement is involved.

Products currently on the market are diverse. They include passive devices using spring systems such as IX BACK from SUITX by Ottobock and fully textile solutions that make use of rubber bands such as the Apex 2 from HeroWear. There are also actively powered systems such as the Apogee from German Bionic. They all serve a similar purpose, helping supply chain organizations improve employee health and safety in the workplace and reduce costs arising from preventable injuries.

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Overhead Work

Neck and shoulders have both been identified as body areas widely affected by MSDs and associated symptoms. Activities involving either static overhead work, such as inspecting and repairing the underside of delivery vehicles, or continually handling weight above shoulder height, like when loading or unloading the top spaces of containers, are considered major risk factors for injury.

Passive devices such as the IX SHOULDER AIR from SUITX by Ottobock are specifically built for these activities, acting as support structures for the upper arms to reduce strain in the neck and shoulders.

Due to the very task-specific design of these devices, here at DHL we see limited applicability within logistics as there are few or no use cases which consist of overhead handling only.

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Workspaces Without Seating

Many facilities in supply chains do not accommodate seating in workspaces because of space constraints or for operational safety reasons. As a result, workers must always stay on their feet when working – a requirement that can also further restrict the industry’s talent pool.

Tech companies such as Noonee and Archelis have developed space-saving solutions often referred to as ‘chairless chairs.’ Nimbly attached to the legs of the worker, these devices fold out when the worker squats, providing them with chair-like support for resting, only to retract when the worker stands up again.

Although the cumulative impact of these chairless chairs in logistics has yet to be fully understood, like other types of exoskeletons, they have potential in attracting prospective workers who otherwise would not qualify or not want such physically demanding jobs.

Previous use case

Challenges

Productivity impacts, cost savings from reduced sick leave, and other quantifiable data is missing but is essential to prove the business case and eliminate doubts about medical efficacy.

User acceptance of exoskeletons requires well-organized onboarding and personalization; initial implementation is similar to a change management project rather than a new hardware installation.

Most available exoskeletons are not entirely effortless to wear and still add a significant amount of weight; this creates a trade-off between benefit in certain movements and perhaps a burden to other movements.

A lack of long-term studies of large-scale deployments to provide evidence of the expected health benefits leaves room for skepticism and remains an entry hurdle for those who do not want to take the risk of a first mover.

Productivity impacts, cost savings from reduced sick leave, and other quantifiable data is missing but is essential to prove the business case and eliminate doubts about medical efficacy.

User acceptance of exoskeletons requires well-organized onboarding and personalization; initial implementation is similar to a change management project rather than a new hardware installation.

Challenge 1 Challenge 2 Challenge 3 Challenge 4

Outlook

Industrial exoskeletons have yet to find their place for large-scale adoption within logistics operations. Here at DHL, we recognize further product improvements in terms of performance and usability but we acknowledge today’s available products still tend to serve only very specific subsets of movements.

While both the business case and medical effectiveness are not yet fully proven, due to lack of long-term studies, we see a rise in interest in the topic. With worker health and safety being a top priority and logistics organizations coming under increasing pressure to find and retain their operational workforce, the potential value of exoskeletons increases. These products have a role to play in improving worker health and safety, expanding the pool of candidates who qualify for physically strenuous tasks, and overall making the workplace more attractive.

It is likely that the recent drop in cost for many devices could pave the way for further testing and adoption.

This trend should be monitored TO SOME EXTENT,with use cases in some applications that can already be addressed today.