--- title: "Ford Rolls Out Robot-Like Exoskeleton to Assembly Line Workers Worldwide" description: "The lightweight wearable vest is made of carbon fiber and aluminum." date: "2018-08-07" modified: "2018-08-07" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/tech/22691/ford-rolls-out-robot-like-exoskeleton-to-assembly-line-workers-worldwide" categories: - "Car Tech" - "Ford News" - "Manufacturing" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "Assembly Line" - "Assembly Plant" - "automotive industry" - "automotive news" - "exoskeleton" - "Ford" - "News" - "technology" --- # Ford Rolls Out Robot-Like Exoskeleton to Assembly Line Workers Worldwide ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* Ford employees at assembly plants around the world are about to get a big boost, quite literally. The [Blue Oval has officially rolled out]() a wearable exoskeleton that helps assembly line workers lessen the physical toll that their job takes on their body. The high-tech wearable is called the EksoVest, and is the latest example of advanced technology Ford is using to reduce worker fatigue, injury or discomfort. According to a statement released on Tuesday, the American automaker partnered with Ekso Bionics to develop this unique wearable technology, which helps raise and support a worker's arms overhead as they perform daily tasks like attaching mechanical components, trim panels, and such. Ford claims that an [assembly line employee]() can perform duties equivalent to lifting a bag of flour or a watermelon overhead approximately 4,600 times a day. ![message-editor%2F1533653951066-ford-exoskeleton4.jpg]() **Ford** The EksoVest, which can be adjusted for workers ranging from five feet, two inches tall to six feet, four inches tall, features panels made out of carbon fiber and other lightweight mesh materials and even aluminum. More importantly, the mechanical joints that attach around a worker's shoulders and elbows can provide lift assistance ranging from five pounds to 15 pounds per arm, therefore minimizing physical strain on the body. According to Kelli Felker, Ford Manufacturing and Labor Communications Manager, each EksoVest costs approximately $6,000. “I don’t want the EksoVest to ever leave,” said Nick Gotts, an original EksoVest operator at Flat Rock Assembly. “Any job that’s overhead, I wouldn’t work without it.” ![message-editor%2F1533653985615-ford-exoskeleton3.jpg]() **Ford** The EksoVest is now deployed in 15 plants across seven countries around the world, including legendary [Michigan]() and Flat Rock assembly plants where the first exoskeletons were trialed ahead of their global rollout. "We purchased 75 of the exoskeletons to use globally in our plants," Felker told *The Drive*. "We have been working with Ekso Bionics on this for more than a year. In fact, the UAW \[United Automobile Workers\] actually purchased the exoskeletons that we used during our trial throughout the past year." ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()