Summary of Innovation
Apogee – Powered Exoskeleton
German Bionic has developed the fully-connected Apogee robotic exoskeleton, which combines human intelligence with machine power to boost workplace safety and worker health. The device provides up to 66 lbs of support per lifting movement to protect the lower back and active walking assistance to reduce fatigue.
The Apogee self-learns through the application of machine learning and AI to reinforce lifting movements and prevent incorrect posture, becoming an intelligent link between humans and machines. The device delivers data that underscores its ability to protect workers' health, measurably reduce the risk of accidents, and improve work processes.
The Apogee e-exoskeleton is making physically demanding jobs safer, more appealing and more inclusive by retaining existing employees as they age and attracting new workers, better coping with today's era of worker shortages. It is an exceptional example of how human-machine systems can combine to improve workplace safety and worker health while optimizing workflows and creating a better work environment.
Innovation Statement
German Bionic is the world’s first company to deliver smart, fully-connected, robotic exoskeletons for the workplace, applying self-learning and artificial intelligence to support lifting movements and prevent poor posture, and thereby becoming an intelligent link between humans and machines to protect the health of workers and markedly reduce the risk of workplace accidents and injury.
Applicability
Businesses in industries and critical infrastructures that rely on manual handling are facing severe labor shortages, made even more challenging as workers age or fall out of the labor force on a temporary or permanent basis due to injury. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affect around 1.71 billion people globally and are the leading contributor to disability worldwide, with low back pain being the single biggest cause. Repeated heavy lifting is an activity that places considerable strain on the musculoskeletal system, which can lead to the development of MSDs. The US Institute of Medicine estimates the cost of workplace MSDs as measured by absenteeism, compensation costs, lost wages, and lost productivity being US$ 45 – 54 billion annually in the US alone. And as populations continue to age, these figures will rise. The German Bionic Apogee makes an important quantifiable contribution towards preventing this.
| Posted Date | 1/23/24 |
| Contact | Markus Woltmann |
| Contact Email | m.woltmann[at]germanbionic.com |
| Category | Best New Innovation |