In the article “It's 2019 - Where’s My Super Suit”, Zelik (2019) writes about the significant and unique features of the exoskeleton made by his team as well as brief descriptions of current commercial versions of exoskeletons. The main function of an exoskeleton is to reduce the risk of muscular injuries. However, modern designs do not appeal to the public because they are cumbersome and costly. The writer endeavors to improve upon the modern designs with a few distinct features. To begin with, the new design has a “clothing-like” appearance that consist of a vest, short, elastic bands and a switch. Furthermore, the design allows the user to move “freely and fully’ by turning off the suit using the outfitted switch. On top of that, the absence of batteries, motors and protruding parts provides a lightweight and seamless design. Lastly, Zelik (2019) asserts that laboratory tests have verified that turning on the suit will reduce substantial loading on the lower back. The idea of simple and discreet designs will be the crucial element for exoskeletons to be popular and commonplace.
Design is a very important factor for new technology to start trending. The current image of exoskeletons when anyone mentions it is a bulky and heavy contraption that will be uncomfortable and a hassle to wear. No one would be willing to wear an exoskeleton with that image in mind every day even with all of its benefits. The exoskeleton suit “Spexor” created by an EU research project from Slovenia will highlight this issue. The “Spexor” is a 6.3 kilo suit that is designed to arrest any lower back pain and assist those with ongoing lower back issues (Wilks, 2019). Developers have commented that testing with the “Spexor” indicates that it is “too wide and bulky” and that the leading issue would be persuading workers without any health issue to use it. This indirectly implies that the commercial designs of exoskeletons must change for anyone to desire wearing it.
A great example of how improving a new product’s design will also greatly improve its popularity is the success of the television. Television sets used only be available to the rich as “fancy toys” (Dunne, 2014). Designers noticed the hidden potential of the television and looking at the evolution of television design, it is clear that the design direction was to make it slimmer and sleeker. Televisions are now a commonplace item in any household and the exoskeleton should also follow the process of improving upon its design to ensure increasing popularity.
Even though improving the design of the exoskeleton to be sleeker and lighter is a priority, there must still be a balance between design and actual performance. Laptops are irreplaceable in the current world and the current trend of laptop design are to make it sleeker, thinner and lighter. These decisions may come at the cost of actual performance as there have been allegations that Apple laptop’s stated performance can only be reached if there is a sufficient cooling environment like a refrigerator (Owen, 2018). Exoskeletons are liable to be affected by this problem as its performance is often based on its size and mechanisms.
In conclusion, the future of exoskeleton designs should be simple and discreet which will lead the product to be popular and commonplace. However, there must be a good balance between design and performance as the main benefits and functions of an exoskeleton should not be excessively diminished for the sake of popularity and sales.
Reference
Dunne, C. (2014). How the television has evolved. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.fastcompany.com/3033336/how-the-television-has-evolved
Owen, W. (2018). Thinner and lighter laptops have screwed us all. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9kmkve/thinner-and-lighter-laptops-have-screwed-us-all
Wilks, J. (2019). New exoskeleton to beat low back pain. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.euronews.com/2019/09/30/new-exoskeleton-to-beat-low-back-pain
Zelik, K. (2019). It's 2019 - where’s my super suit. Retrieved and adapted from https://theconversation.com/its-2019-wheres-my-supersuit-115679
No comments:
Post a Comment