Exoskeletons Give Shipyard Workers Superhuman Strength

South Korean shipbuilding company Daewoo has brought a whiff of the future into its shipyards by introducing the concept of outfitting the shipyard workers with exoskeletons for lifting heavy objects, New Scientist reports.

The company claims that it is not out of the realm of possibility to see workers at the Daewoo shipyards donning the futuristic contraptions that would allow them to lift objects weighing up to 100 kilograms with ease.

Exoskeletons are wearable motorized appendages for arms and legs that give the wearer superhuman strength.

A 28-kilo flexible frame prototype was in the focus of the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) tests. The prototype made of carbon-reinforced plastic, aluminium and steel allows the wearer to move at normal speeds while burdened with a 30-kilo load.

The future workable model which is currently being worked on will help workers lift loads of up to 100 kilograms.

The battery-powered exoskeleton is strapped to the legs, arms and chest of the wearer. The frame with hydraulic joints powered by electric motors is in charge of bearing the actual load.

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World Maritime News Staff; August 7, 2014; Image: Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering