Relief for the Daily Grind
Keith Maxwell
Lockheed Martin
Keith.Maxwell@lmco.com
O: 407-356-2831
C: 407-620-2289
What is the FORTIS® Exoskeleton?
− The FORTIS® Exoskeleton is an anthropomorphic structure
that provides an alternate load path to the ground for a
suspended load
• Enhancing human strength, endurance and productivity
− The FORTIS® Exoskeleton is an passive exoskeleton that relies
on mechanical advantage to transfer load to the ground
• Passive means the system is actuated by the human in the system
and has no batteries
− The FORTIS® Exoskeleton relieves musculoskeletal stress on
the human body
• Reducing the operator’s fatigue, increasing productivity and
decreasing risk of injuries
− The FORTIS® Exoskeleton is safe and easy to operate
• The user cannot move in an unintended or unnatural manner
The FORTIS® Exoskeleton
System Design
− Structure:
• Weighs less than 27 lbs. (12.3 kg)
• Supports tools up to 36 lbs. (16.3 kg)
• Aluminum Frame
Torso Frame
Counterweights
− Features:
• Fits users from 5’4” to 6’3” tall (1.64 to 1.95 m)
• Transfers load at the feet when standing or the
knees for when kneeling
• Quick, tool-free adjustability
• Anthropomorphic joints
• No pinch points
• Designed for single operator use and
adjustment
• Designed to be comfortable for men and
women
• Designed for 24-hour operation in salt spray
with daily wash down and regular maintenance
• Easy to operate, minimal training required
• Affordable
Torso
Harness
Counterweight
Arm
Arm Mount
Hip Frame
Hip Joint
Waist Strap
Leg Frame
Knee Support
Knee Joint
Calf Strap
Ankle Joint
Foot Strap
Foot Support
The FORTIS® Arm
System Design
− Structure:
• Weighs less than 10 lbs. (4.5 kg)
• Supports tools up to 50 lbs. (22.7 kg)
• Aluminum/Stainless Frame
− Features:
•
•
•
•
•
Adjustable for light to heavy tools
Quick, tool-free adjustability
Locking joints for hands-free stability
No pinch points
Can be mounted to the FORTIS® Exoskeleton,
stand or fixed workstation
• Designed for 24-hour operation in salt spray
with daily wash down and regular maintenance
• Greater functionality, more affordable than
similar products
The FORTIS® Exoskeleton Features
Easily adjustable harnessing, leg height and hip width
User is able to walk up and down stairs or kneel
The FORTIS® Exoskeleton Applications
Routing
Drilling
Riveting
With minimal
modification,
integrates with
current processes
and tools of many
maintenance,
manufacturing,
and support
operations
Grinding
Sand
Blasting
Painting
FORTIS’s Versatility Offers Endless Possibilities for Industrial Applications
U.S. Navy Industrial Exoskeleton Trials
− Many jobs require workers to operate heavy tools that put them at risk
− Impacts to Total Ownership Cost / Productivity / Injury Rates
− Trials on overhead grinding
• Augmented workers performed sustained overhead grind for 25 minutes,
where unaugmented users required 21 breaks per 25-minute period
• Significant quality improvement were seen when augmented
• Enabled a user with a muscular-skeletal disease to perform task he was
previously unable to perform
− Trials to remove SHT tiles on submarine hull using heat induction tools
• Augmented workers demonstrated increased productivity by enabling a 2worker team to equal the production of a 3-worker team
• Improves worker ergonomics and significantly reduces worker fatigue
• Performed effectively in a wide array of work environments (unstable
footing, loose impediments, rain, wind and cold)
Exoskeleton-augmented
workers reported a 66%
reduction in fatigue
when an using an
exoskeleton vs. no
augmentation
Demonstrated Potential to Shorten Dry-Dock Period with
Productivity Enhancements
Commercial Industrial Experience
• FORTIS® has found a home in the Commercial Aerospace, Heavy
Construction, Automotive and Shipbuilding/Repair Industries.
• Return on Investment validated through increased productivity and
injury avoidance.
• Environmental Safety and Health has identified FORTIS® as a
technology that reduces worker fatigue.
• FORTIS® expands the labor pool; potentially extending the careers of
skilled workers, opening/expanding career opportunities to all skilled
workers.
• “FORTIS® Works.”
FORTIS® Awards & Recognition
The Defense Manufacturing
Excellence Award 2014
The Industrial Gold
Spark Award 2014
Good Green Design
Green 100 Award 2015
Reddot Best of the Best Award
Industrial Category 2015
Coolest Gadgets of
2014
Product Design of the
Year 2014
But we aren’t done
yet…
Introducing FORTIS® v3.0
• FORTIS® 3.0 now includes the FORTIS Tool Arm in price and
FORTIS® v 3.0 is more affordable than ever before
• Tool Arm has Patented Locking Mechanism at Each Joint
• Suspends up to 36 lbs on FORTIS™ and 50 lbs Bench Mounted
• No Pinch Points, Easy Adjustment, Less Expensive than
Comparable Alternatives
• Increased Agility
• Walk, Kneel, Squat, Run…. Dance… if you want to!
• Simplified Operation
• 30 Minute Training Time
• One Person Operation
• Tool Free Adjustment
• Don in Under 1 Minute Unassisted
• Doff in Under 15 Seconds Unassisted
• Reduced Cost
• Improved Manufacturing Processes
• Reduced Part Count
Why DoD Should Buy The FORTIS®
Exoskeleton?
− Proven technology – U.S. Navy (NAVSEA PSNSY/NNS/PNSY and NAVAIR Advanced Designs for Aircraft
Maintenance) test reports conclude that workers augmented with Lockheed Martin exoskeleton
technologies are:
• More Productive – extending time on task by up to 27 times without requiring rest
• Less Fatigued – workers report feeling 66% less fatigued than when doing the same job without
Lockheed Martin exoskeleton augmentation
• More Effective – Navy Quality Assurance reported that augmented workers delivered better quality
work with fewer defects, requiring less rework than unaugmented workers
− Reduced risk of musculoskeletal injury
• Reduced load on muscles
• Reduced vibration from tools
− Greater job satisfaction
• Augmented workers feel valued for craftsmanship rather than brute strength
• Less expensive to own and operate than powered exoskeletons
Questions and Answers