DSME workers get suited and booted

Apparently, the suits were tested at the facility last year, but DSME wants to take production to the next level and hopes the exoskeleton will help the team to perform their tasks.

The exoskeleton is said to fit anyone between 160 and 185cm tall and when wearing it, workers do not feel the weight of its 28kg frame of carbon, aluminium alloy and steel, as the suit supports itself and is designed to follow the wearer’s movements. With a three-hour battery life, the suit allows users to walk at a normal pace and, in its prototype form, can lift objects with a mass of up to 30kg.

It is understood that feedback from DSME workers has been mostly positive, with testers pleased they could lift heavy objects repeatedly without strain, but said it would be better if it could move faster and be able to cope with heavier loads.

To wear the exoskeleton, workers start by strapping their feet onto foot pads at the base of the robot. Padded straps at the thigh, waist and across the chest connect the user to the suit, allowing the robot to move with their bodies as it bears loads for them. A system of hydraulic joints and electric motors running up the outside of the legs links to a backpack, which powers and controls the rig.

Frames designed for individual tasks can be attached to the backpack, with some arcing over a person’s head like a small crane. As well as boosting raw lifting ability, the suit is said to help workers manipulate heavy components precisely.

This development at the DSME shipyard, which already makes extensive use of robots and automation, comes at a time when the company is engaged in constructing ever-larger vessels. One example of this is the US$1.9bn contract from Maersk Line for 10 Triple-E container ships, each of 18,000teu capacity.