Comau, in collaboration with wearable technology company IUVO and retail store chain Esselunga, has unveiled the MATE-XB, a portable exoskeleton that provides full support to the sacrovertebral joint during bending and lifting movements.
The MATE-XB is specifically designed to reduce lumbar fatigue during lifting and repetitive tasks. It can help enhance the well-being of operators handling loads of up to 25 kg. It has been tested within the Esselunga Group, an Italian retail company.
The MATE-XB is easy to wear and quickly adjustable to all body types. Its lightweight carbon fiber structure is resistant to water, dust, and elements. The company says it can be used indoors and outdoors, even in highly corrosive marine environments.
RELATED ARTICLE
Logistics Applications
Perfect for logistics, order fulfillment, manual palletizing, and depalletizing operations, as well as bending and lifting from the ground, the MATE-XB replicates the user’s physiological movements to provide optimal lumbar support without the need for batteries, motors, or other failure-prone devices. The intuitive and user-friendly design allows for full-body mobility and offers quick activation/deactivation functionality, allowing users to control the exoskeleton without interrupting their ongoing tasks.
According to Pietro Gorlier, Comau CEO,
“According to market studies, we anticipate a 25% growth in the wearable robotics market over the next three years. Our collaboration with Esselunga, a renowned and market-leading Italian company, has been essential during the design and validation process, as it allowed us to gain worker approval for the portability, features, and functionality of the MATE-XB before deploying the exoskeleton in other industrial sectors.”
