The French passive exoskeleton developer, ErgoSanté, leveraged the Wearable Robotics Association Conference (WearRAcon) as a platform to announce not one but two new products as well as plans to open a production facility in the US:
- New manufacturing location in Wilmington, North Carolina
- The new passive exoskeleton, the HAPO Up-Front
- New wearable, the Hapo Sensor
ErgoSanté revealed today that it plans to open a production location for occupational passive exoskeletons in Wilmington, North Carolina, in June 2023. The company hopes that this move will show its commitment to the US market, which is projected to become 50% of its customer base by 2028. This development should also help their exclusive distributor NUVO operate in the American market.
ErgoSanté is a producer of upper-body industrial exoskeletons and custom ergonomic solutions. Reportedly, its exoskeletons can be found in facilities operated by Louis Vuitton, Sanofi, Airbus, Mars incorporated, and Ford. The new US factory will not only help keep up with demand but also clear regulatory hurdles, like Buy America, if the customer base is to expand to US government agencies.
If opening a new exoskeleton production facility was not news enough, ErgoSanté revealed the HAPO Up-Front. As the name suggests, this is the first dual-use exoskeleton device that can be quickly reconfigured to serve workers performing repetitive tasks in front or above.
The HAPO Up-Front is a modular mix-and-match approach to exoskeleton procurement. Customers can either purchase the HAPO-Up, HAPO-Front, or enough components to be able to reconfigure between either on the fly. The HAPO Front is ideal for repetitive tasks that require the arms to be extended forward for a prolonged period of time. In contrast, the HAPO Up is designed to reduce fatigue during overhead movements. Switching between the two is meant to take less than a few minutes.
Finally, ErgoSanté divulged a brand new wearable sensor that is directly compatible with the HAPO line of exoskeletons. In the modern world, expert opinions don’t have the same weight as they used to. Decision-makers want to have numbers and data available at all times. The HAPO sensor delivers just that. It can track the number of times the HAPO passive exoskeleton spring element has been used and calculate the equivalent weight that has been offloaded from the user.
ErgoSanté has revealed a bullish stance on occupational exoskeletons at WearRAcon 23. It is not often that a new production space, products, and a wearable sensor (to track the use and their performance) of the exos are unveiled at the same time.
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