Design World – August 2019

60 August 2019 http://www.designworldonline.com DESIGN WORLD
DESIGN WORLD http://www.designworldonline.com August 2019 61

The exoskeleton market will grow from 7,000 units and global

hardware revenue of $192 million last year to 301,000 units

and $5.8 billion in revenue by 2028, predicts ABI Research.

How does that compare with maxon’s expectations?

Ineichen: We design a dedicated drive for the companies building

exoskeletons. Most companies on the market with electric-

driven exoskeletons initially designed them for medical or

military use.

The majority of the industrial applications are passive

exoskeletons, which are driven by springs or gas, to support

assembly work. These exoskeletons are for supporting lower

limbs, like the knees or hips for lifting tasks, or for the upper

limbs for overhead work.

We’ve seen lots of companies and universities around the

world developing exoskeletons, some in New Zealand, some in

Europe, and some in the U.S.

maxon motor’s Exoskeleton Drive.

| maxon

maxon is supporting teams for Cybathlon 2020.

| maxon motor

maxon designed its

exoskeleton actuator

after studying the market.

| maxon

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