July 23, 2020 – Hilti and Ottobock have combined their respective know-hows in construction and biomechanics to produce the Hilti EXO-01 exoskeleton, which we just learned about during a Hilti New Products presentation.

“Exoskeletons are an important trend having great relevance for us. They provide relief for physically demanding tasks, such as those performed on construction sites every day,” explained Johannes Wilfried Huber, head of Hilti’s Diamond Systems Business Unit.

The EXO-01 is currently undergoing jobsite trials, and will come to market in Fall 2020, with full roll-out expected January 2021.

The exoskeleton is a passive unit; there are no motors, no batteries. The weight of the wearer’s arms is transferred to the hips via the forearm supports using mechanical cable pulling technology. Independent studies and Ottobock research have shown that this reduces the peak load on the muscles and relieves shoulders by up to 47%.