Well, what's there? Let's see
Hi all! My name is Vladislav Davydov, I am the chief manager of the innovation and artificial intelligence department of Norilsk Nickel Sputnik.
You may have learned from the last two publications that Norilsk Nickel is developing an industrial exoskeleton. Already finished. Less than five years have passed. Or has it passed?
Didn't go well? What is our view of the current circumstances? How do we imagine the future?
We don't grow up with people
I am sure that many of you have heard/read about the problem of personnel shortage. During my work on the exoskeleton, I spoke about this problem many times and under different circumstances. In most cases, the interlocutors agreed with our understanding of the situation, but more than once there were those who stubbornly argued that the problem was overblown and there was no shortage of workers, arguing for their position by regularly observing the picture of idleness of engineers (engineering and technical workers) involved in replanting flowers at home in the office, watching a hockey match, discussing their brand new items, etc. Well… let's go by the principle of “Russell's Teapot”.
According to the “Monitoring of Enterprises” of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the personnel shortage in the second quarter of 2024 reached a new maximum in the entire history of observations. A number of enterprises are forced to either limit the growth of production volumes or motivate staff to work overtime for additional pay. Also, at the beginning of this year, many enterprises increased salaries for certain categories of workers; others are ready to attract personnel who do not have all the necessary competencies, including students, pensioners, migrants, or to retain experienced older specialists. In general, companies are taking measures to increase labor productivity and optimize production processes.
Let's look at the chronology of the problem using official data from Rosstat.
In Russia, the share of vacancies relative to the average annual number of employees for the period from 2017 to 2023 increased by 2.8 times. In 2017, approximately 731,000 people were required, and in 2023 – 2,110,000 people (two entire populations of Voronezh or 92% of the population of the Voronezh region).
In the mining industry, the share of vacancies relative to the average annual number of employees over the same period increased 4 times. In 2017, approximately 13,000 people were required, and in 2023, 49,000 people were needed.
The need for professional groups for which domestic industrial exoskeletons are intended is 9.8% of the total need in Russia; in the mining industry this need is 51.8%. Indeed…heavy industry.
The share of the number of workers under the influence of the severity of the labor process in Russia is 19.4% (≈6,415,000 people), in the mining industry – 35.4% (≈423,000 people). Physical overload and functional overstrain of individual organs and systems are the cause of 20.7% of cases of occupational pathology from the influencing factors of physical labor. Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue account for 12.1% of the causes of temporary disability.
Let's take a closer look at the situation. It seems that the use of industrial exoskeletons is one of the necessary measures to counter the problem of shortage of qualified personnel in blue-collar professions. It would be nice to recognize industrial exoskeletons duty officers PPE for the musculoskeletal system (PPE ODA) at the state level.
The issue has been resolved with the very concept of PPE ODA – GOST R 12.4.306-2023 is already in force. It was discussed here too. After the recognition of industrial exoskeletons on duty PPE, the regulatory framework will be sufficient so that enterprises can systematically use them.
The constant presence of a pair of our exoskeletons in the office led to a kind of inflation of my lifestyle.
Once I unsuccessfully removed a box with an exoskeleton (60x60x60 cm, 36 kg) from a cart, then my lower back reminded me of this mistake for a long time. Before this, I had the idea of using an exoskeleton to load a box with another exoskeleton onto a cart, and carry the second empty box on myself. Two boxes did not fit on the cart at once. In the loading area, remove the full box from the cart, and put the exo that I’m wearing into the empty one. It was precisely because of the need to pack the exoskeleton back that such a trick was never implemented.
Where did this idea come from?
As a result of numerous tests and demonstrations, where I had to carry and hold various loads weighing from 20 kg to 45 kg for up to 40 minutes. I do not have the habit of carrying heavy loads, however, the ability of the exoskeleton to take on a vertical load (the weight of the load) saves the intervertebral discs from overload, relieving me of pain or significant discomfort after an active demonstration and detailed answers to questions.
If I simply held the load in my hands, bent over with it, squatted down 10 times, stood bent over, and then stood for another 20-30 minutes with the load in my hands answering questions, I’m not sure that this would have happened without health consequences, not to mention the opportunity to tell something normally.
It is after such an experience that the desire to use the exoskeleton arises, sometimes even in household chores. The load is easier to manipulate, as if there were more hands.
Experience with others
While working on our exoskeleton, we were able to test other exoskeletons from different manufacturers, including foreign ones. Among them, the greatest demand at Norilsk Nickel is for two types of exoskeletons: for supporting the arms and the back.
For ourselves, we have identified a set of labor severity factors that classify exoskeletons according to the protected anatomical region of the person. And at present they are strictly opposed to the use of current soft “exoskeletons”, which do not have a frame – only hard inserts in certain areas.
Yes, they are compact, lightweight, and do not restrict movement. Simplicity and, sometimes, low cost make these “exoskeletons” attractive to consumers.
But! What is the operating principle behind them?
Let's look at a simple drawing.
Such soft “exoskeletons” consist of a chain: vest – elastic elements – leg cuffs.
Elastic elements are attached to the vest in the back area and to the leg cuffs.
In some designs, the vest can rest on the belt, which is better than resting on the shoulders.
The principle of operation is simple: a person bends or squats, the elastic elements stretch, creating a force at the point of attachment to the vest and cuffs (red arrows), which creates a moment of rotation of the person’s torso relative to his legs (green arrow). This allows you to smooth out peak loads on certain muscle groups in the area for which this “exoskeleton” is intended.
So what's the problem?
Just in the force that stretched elastic elements create, trying to take their original shape. This force, through the vest and cuffs, affects the human musculoskeletal system, compressing the hip joint and spine from the shoulders to the lower back. Or squeezing the hip joint if the vest rests on the belt.
In addition to the fact that a person, with his musculoskeletal system, holds the load, loading the joints, he also adds a soft “exoskeleton”. And the joints suffer the most with regular heavy physical labor.
And this is in the name of partial unloading of a small muscle group.
This opinion can be countered by the results of medical and technical research. But they should be passed through the prism of the methods by which these studies were carried out in order to understand how the result was achieved and what exactly characterizes it.
From the point of view of force distribution, frame exoskeletons do not have such collisions.
Let's look at a frame exoskeleton, similar in purpose to those discussed above.
Here the moment tending to rotate the person’s torso relative to the legs is located in the plane of the axis of rotation of the hip joint (white arrow), i.e. in the sagittal plane.
The moment is generated by a mechanism located on the exoskeleton frame, which does not imply any compressive forces, in contrast to what occurs when the elastic elements of soft “exoskeletons” are stretched.
It is worth noting that frame exoskeletons, compared to soft ones, can be heavier, but not critically, they can slightly restrict movement, they are less compact and structurally more complex. Some frame exos have functionality for adjusting force and preload.
We managed to get acquainted with one example of a frame exoskeleton for the lower back, which has the functionality of adjusting force and preload. It is produced in China.
In general, everything is good there, except for the attachment system on the person. The textile elements there are too thin and soft, they wrinkle and begin to press unpleasantly.
Functionality with force adjustments allows you to better adjust the exoskeleton to your needs. Which has a positive effect on operating comfort.
This manufacturer has a whole line of different exoskeletons, including soft ones.
Who cares about the manufacturer's name? Here's a close-up photo of the nameplate.
What other interesting aspects might there be?
Comfort of putting on and taking off the exoskeleton;
Comfortable seating while working;
General impressions of the performance of the main function of the exoskeleton.
The mechanisms, frame and active part with a control system can be perfectly implemented, but an unsuccessful system for attaching the exoskeleton to a person eliminates all the advantages. In this case, testers of different builds and wear tests cannot be neglected.
When designing an attachment system, it is important to consider the exoskeleton's purpose and potential loads. It would seem a banal statement, but this task is among the latent tricky ones.
Why?
My height is 190 cm, weight is 100 kg. Almost all of our exoskeletons fit well on me.
How will they fit on a person 170 cm tall and weighing 70 kg? Or a strong repairman, 180 cm tall and weighing 90 kg? What about idle work? How about the workload?
How will the landing change after working 10 conditional shifts? And after 100 conditional shifts?
How will the mounting system perform in real conditions with real users? Will the belt unfasten spontaneously during a squat for a person who does not have a flat stomach at all?
How hot will a person be wearing an exoskeleton?
Are there accessible pockets in which the employee can stash a cell phone, ID badge, and other accessories?
How to clean or replace fastening system elements?
Solving such issues is the way to achieve UGT8.
And taking into account real user experience – UGT9.
What else?
Exoskeletons that are designed to support one specific area of the body that does not require more than two degrees of freedom (such as knees or elbows) can fit tightly to that area.
Exoskeleton ONYX, Lockheed Martin
In such a concept, geometric and kinematic conflicts of the human body with the exoskeleton design are quite easy to avoid and it will work.
If the task of the exoskeleton is to take on part of the load from the load being carried or to support areas of the body that require more than two degrees of freedom, then a tight-fitting structure will not work.
Problems will appear, starting with the implementation of adjustments and ending with constant kinematic conflicts of the human body with the design of the exoskeleton. The human body will rest against the structure, which will begin to “jam.” For this reason, it is necessary to distance the supporting frame. It is important not to make unnecessary attachment points, because… they excessively fix the exoskeleton, which also leads to jamming. The necessary play of the exoskeleton relative to the human body must be maintained.
Note the common features: attachment in the foot, thigh or lower leg; belt and five-point bar (not everywhere, since it acts as a saddle and improves control over the exoskeleton); vest or straps, like a backpack.
On our exoskeleton, the cuff is located on the thigh, because tests showed greater ergonomics and controllability, compared with the location on the shin.
Grace, functions and perspectives
We finally got around to installing pockets from the installer’s belt on the exoskeleton. We added detachable magnetic holders to the vest for open-end wrenches, bolts, nuts, etc.
The mode of operation in terms of force on cables has shown its worth. You can approach the load and, in “automatic” mode, simply pull the carabiners, bend over or sit down, secure the load and stand up. Then you can lift the load from a standing position.
You can lift the load from a bend or squat, as convenient and as the situation requires. The main idea is to get rid of unnecessary manipulations and button presses. Just pick up remote controls or carabiners, secure the load and lift it with a “rocker” using the dead man's switch system.
Additionally, the exoskeleton provides functionality for recording data from sensors, the composition of which is optional and can be selected by the customer for the task. It remains to work out the functionality of convenient data transfer in all familiar Excel, including wirelessly. This task already falls on the Load Assist company. The customer can use the data for his own purposes, synchronizing with permanent video recording of the work process, which is also stored in the exoskeleton’s memory.
It would not be wise to take advantage of the modularity of the exoskeleton's load-bearing frame and not develop a line of exoskeletons based on it.
This is also the task of Load Assist.
And ours is to test the first production batch of exoskeletons this year at our own enterprises, which is not strictly limited to work in the workshop. Legal and regulatory training, as well as storage and servicing methods will be tested for strength. All this is necessary for the full implementation of exoskeletons in their technological processes, starting in 2025.
Yes, we had a plan to introduce the first hundred by the end of 2024, and we stuck to it. The introduction of a large series of exoskeletons with a crude design and regulations carries serious risks. This is the case when tight deadlines should be exchanged for high quality.
Total
In five years, we went through the life cycle from idea to commercialization with the launch of the series. And this cycle with tangible additions, consisting of group work of interested organizations to define exoskeletons as a formalized type of product.
I express great hope to see industrial exoskeletons become an integral part of our work and production culture. Until hard physical labor disappears as a result of humanity's desire to increase industrial efficiency.
