(Construction) - The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan will begin verification tests at actual construction sites this fall, with an aim of introducing power-assisted suits, which are increasingly being used in the fields of logistics and nursing care, to construction sites.
The ministry will test the exoskeletons at about 20 construction sites selected by each regional development bureau, focusing on situations suitable for the use of the powered suit, such as long hours of strenuous work and heavy lifting. Based on the results of the demonstration, the requirements for the technology in construction sites will be announced by the end of the fiscal year. This is also intended to encourage the development of a product that is suitable for construction sites.
 |
| Japanese Infrastructure Ministry to test powered suits at construction sites. |
Powered exoskeletons are useful for improving productivity and reducing the burden of strenuous work, which is common at construction sites. Last year, four types of the powered suits with different movement support were used to simulate three cases of work, such as earthwork and on-site transportation. The results proved that the technology is useful for excavation, lifting, and installation, which are physically demanding tasks, as well as for manual labor required at disaster sites.
The ministry has decided to test the following labor-intensive tasks: concrete casting, rock excavation and piling, slope spraying, geological survey and boring, fingertip and arm work while sitting on the ground, turf lining, rebar assembly, sandbag installation, cage work (filling stones), lifting heavy objects while sitting on the ground, block laying, concrete block installation, precast gutter installation and slope stone installation. (2021/08/05)
The Daily Engineering and Construction News of Japan
Theo
