Whether one deals with full-body wearable suits or an appendage, exoskeletons aim to strengthen or improve human motilities and abilities. Their biggest advantages lie in their ability to protect and support internal components.

To date, there are different types of exoskeletons and each of them comes with its share of challenges. If their manufacturing process does not meet certain expectations, they can result in an unexpected reduction of human flexibility leading to new sources of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) and accidents. Furthermore, depending on what led someone to wear such a device, exoskeletons may often represent a psychological burden for the patient due to their aesthetic and functional impairment – let alone the cost of the final device.

All these pain points can be addressed using advanced manufacturing technologies. The basic questions are: What? Why? How? Beyond these questions, there is a need to understand how to shorten a manufacturing process that is still described as lengthy and full of complexities.

The next Additive Talks session ambitions to discuss the challenges in the manufacturing and the performance for structural articulated parts in exoskeletons and/or humanoid robots. It will also address the advanced manufacturing opportunities that may serve these applications as well as limitations that still need to be addressed in this industry. Entitled “Is AM an untapped potential for exoskeleton applications”, the virtual panel will take place on Wednesday 28th June, from 03.30 pm to 04.30 pm CET (09.30 am - 10.30 am New York Time, USA).