Comau has unveiled MATE, its first innovative wearable exoskeleton at Automatica in Munich, the international trade fair for Automation and Mechatronics. MATE has been designed to improve work quality in an efficient and highly ergonomic mannerby providing consistent and advanced movement assistance during repetitive as well as daily tasks.
The MATE Fit for Workers exoskeleton uses an advanced spring-based passive structure. MATE delivers lightweight, breathable and highly effective postural support without the need for batteries, motors or other failure-prone devices. It is also compact and ergonomically designedthanks to the partnership between Comau, ÖSSUR, a leading non-invasive orthopedics company and IUVO, a spin-off company of The BioRobotics Institute (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna) specialized in wearable technologies. MATE is fully able to replicate any movement of the shoulder while adhering to the body like a “second skin”.
Reflecting Comau’s vision and commitment to innovative, open and easy-to-use technologies, MATE is an important part in the company’s HUMANufacturing Technology strategy, a concept in which people are protagonists within the smart factory together with cutting-edge, digital tools, enabling technologies and ‘intelligent’ industrial robotics within a networked production system. It is also the first of a series of wearable robotics that Comau is developing and commercializing in partnership with IUVO and Össur. A fundamental aspect of the collaboration is the joint desire to progress and evolve human-machine collaboration within diverse sectors, including biomedical, manufacturing and consumer. MATE was designed and developed at the Comau HUMANufacturing Innovation Center in Pontedera (Pisa), Italy.
At Comau’s booth (Stand 331 – Hall B5) from June 19-22, 2018, visitors can see MATE and the benefits of using it thanks to an application that shows the muscles when wearing an exoskeleton aided by sensors.
Features
- Designed in close collaboration with factory workers engaged in manual activities
- Naturally comfortable,breathable postural structure
- Compact structure fully follows the movements of the upper limb without resistance or misalignment
- Passive spring-based mechanism – no risk of battery or motor failure batteries because the system does not use them
Benefits
- Reduction of shoulder muscle activity for some muscles of up to 50%
- Users can do the same tasks with less fatigue
- Consistent, ergonomically-assisted movement support increases the quality and precision of repetitive tasks
- Users can improve their quality of work
About Comau
Comau, a member of the FCA Group, is an advanced industrial automation products and systems provider.
In addition to a range of modular and highly-configurable products, Comau offers interconnected digital service solutions able to transmit, elaborate and analyze important machine and process data. The full portfolio includes: joining, assembly and machining solutions for traditional and electric vehicles, robotized manufacturing systems, a complete family of robots with extensive range and payload configurations, autonomous logistics, and asset optimization services with real-time monitoring and control capabilities. The offering also extends to project management and consultancy, IoT services, and maintenance and training for a wide range of industrial segments.
Headquartered in Turin, Italy, Comau has over 45 years of experience and an international network of 32 locations, 14 manufacturing plants and 5 innovation centers that span 14 countries and employ more than 9,000 people.
For more information, visit www.comau.com.
