Norilsk Nickel: Exoskeletons

2020: Release of the intellectual version of an exoskeleton

On March 5, 2020 it became known that development of exoskeletons which is conducted by Digital laboratory of Norilsk Nickel in partnership with the Southwest state university (YuZGU, Kursk) was included into a final stage. Norilsk Nickel starts release of a pre-series sample with intellectualization elements.

"Our sample provides, in addition to the exoskeleton, existence of the on-board computer which in real time helps to trace including the level of gas contamination of an ambient air, temperature, illumination and an operation mode of the user. All data are output to the mobile device or in corporate network. The first batch of intellectual ekzoskeletny complexes will make 20 copies", 'Sergey Radkov, the project manager noted'

Exoskeleton — the framework created from light and wearproof materials which fastens on a body, repeating human biomechanics. Industrial samples are intended for rise, transfer and deduction of loads and also for execution of works, connected with long stay in a static status. Exoskeletons are applied to prevention of injury rate on production and promote increase in production efficiency. The samples developed by Norilsk Nickel are capable to assume to 90% of weight.

The digital laboratory of Norilsk Nickel conducts development of exoskeletons for 1.5 years; during this time construction was considerably improved. The complex became 25% easier at the expense of framework material substitution: the weight of an exoskeleton is about 18 kg. The system of fastening is changed owing to what the sample became easier to be put on. As of March, 2020 the current version is equipped with gravitational compensators and electric drives.

The company in the pilot mode tested a complex not only on own production sites, but also at the enterprises of such large Russian companies as Severstal, Gazprom Neft and RUSAL which provided afterwards recommendations about construction improvement. The general time of tests exceeded 600 h.

As Sergey Radkov noted, Norilsk Nickel is going to apply exoskeletons first of all on own production. According to him, in March it is going to send the next five intellectual samples to Polar branch of Norilsk Nickel, on the Norilsknikelremont enterprise. For this purpose the staff of the enterprise completed professional development course on the Kursk platform of the partner of Norilsk Nickel — YuZGU — and the first in Russia received certificates in "operation of industrial exoskeletons".

In addition, Norilsk Nickel is going to commercialize the developments. According to data of Rosstat, in Russia about 5 million people at the age of 15–72 years execute heavy physical transactions in the construction, mining and metallurgical industry, on production and when transporting. At the same time annually fixed skeletal and muscular frustration received on production bring, in addition to physical, also huge economic damage. According to a research of the All-Russian Research Institute of work, the amount of compensations to the employees in 2018 exceeded 116 billion rubles, and together with costs because of losses of working time, payments for insured events and early pensions the annual damage reaches 1.67 trillion rub^[1]

Robotics

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