The Exia robotic suit, dubbed Exia by German Bionic, offers up to a 38kg dynamic assistance for heavy lifting. This means that a 30kg item feels like 5kg to the lifter. What really sets Exia aside from its predecessors, however, is its ability to adapt and learn.
German Bionic claims Exia as the world’s very first exoskeleton powered with augmented AI. Augmented AI is a type artificial intelligence that enhances human intelligence.
Each suit is designed to become better and better at anticipating movements of the person wearing it over time. The company claims that this allows the exoskeletons to provide the maximum amount of support at the appropriate time. Imagine it as muscle memory for machines.
Armin Schmidt, CEO and founder of German Bionic called it a breakthrough in human augmentation. This is when people use tech to enhance their physical or cognitive capabilities — think Tony Stark from Iron Man. Schmidt said that Exia does not just respond or think, but it also learns. “With each movement, it grows along with its user, continually adapting and evolving to the demands of that person and the task at hand.” How it works.
The Exia suit is worn by a worker like a backpack. It weighs only 7kg. Exia’s sensors detect movement and activate its adaptive lift engine as soon as the worker begins lifting, walking or bending. The suit boosts the strength of the wearer by using battery-powered motors, advanced control systems and advanced control systems. The worker docks the suit at the end of their shift to recharge.
When you first put on the device, it can feel heavy and strange,” Norma Steller told TNW. “But when the motors kick-in, it feels amazing. It gives you a feeling of being tall, strong, and capable.
These units also collect data about your movements. The feature is designed to flag behaviours which increase the risk of injury such as excessive repetition, improper lifting and twisting movements.
German Bionics, founded in 2017, is one of the many companies working on human augmentation around the globe. Other companies include US-based Ekso Bionics which developed an exoskeleton aimed at construction workers, Wundercraft in France which developed a lower body exoskeleton that helps patients recover from spinal injuries, and Spain’s Marsi Bionics which launched a gait-exoskeleton designed for children with neuromuscular disease. German Bionics Exia is available in North America and Europe. The company told TNW that “price is variable depending on requirements, number of units ordered, and the data the customer wants track.”
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