**3.3.1 Exoskeletons**

126 The Future of Humanoid Robots – Research and Applications

Application in Construction: Support of workers physical abilities in light construction and restoration tasks. Support of workers in prefabrication factories for industrialized building

construction (Sekisui House, Sekisui Heim and Toyota Home)

Smart Suit, Figure taken form Website: http://smartsuit.org/, last visited 24/07/2011

for restoration works after the big earthquake in Tohoku, Japan.

Left: Walking Assist Device Honda, Figure taken form Website:

Right: Copyright T. Bock, T. Linner

**3.3 Total systems** 

robots.

Fig. 8. Smart Suit developed by Hokkaido University and Smart Support Company is used

http://world.honda.com/news/2008/c081107Walking-Assist-Device/, last visited 24/07/2011,

factories. Right: Devices like the Body Weight Assist Device can support existing

Fig. 9. Left: Honda is now testing the usability of its Body Weight Assist Device in its own

industrialized and production line based prefabrication of buildings, Sekisui Heim, Japan.

Element technologies as described above can be combined with sub-elements and subsystems (e.g. partial exoskeletons, exoskeleton for lower body part/feet, and exoskeleton for upper body part) to more complex total systems as full body exoskeletons or mobility "Robot Suit HAL" is a well-known Japanese Exoskeleton which is specialized on detecting very weak corporal signals on the surface of the skin which are generated when a person attempts to move. In 2008, Daiwa House Industry started the renting of "HAL for Welfarebeing". The product is now used in several nursing homes and welfare facilities in Japan to assist elderly or disabled people in walking. There are also some other prototypes of exoskeleton in Japan, and each of them uses different actuators, e.g. ultrasonic motors, pneumatic rubber artificial muscles, and air bag actuators[19][20][21]. They are tackling some common challenges such as down-sizing, long-time operations, and low-cost manufacturing in order to bring their product to market. These exoskeletons will get further usability when they are combined with some other element technologies. Prof. Shigeki Toyama, who made "Wearable Agri Robot", plans to develop Augmented Reality goggles which show information of vegetables and fruits, the health condition of workers, and the working hours and inform workers when to have a break. Although each project team expects to introduce own products into a specific working area, it's relatively easy to apply one them to other fields, especially construction works, because they support mainly same movements such as bending down or lifting heavy things up and have a common purpose; preventing workers from repetitive strain injuries.

