DPD Relieves Employees with Exoskeletons from German Bionic

Packages sent with DPD can weigh up to 31.5 kilograms. For delivery personnel and workers in package sorting, this means significant physical strain. Even though the packages in sorting centers travel most of the distance via automated systems, they are manually unloaded from trucks. An exoskeleton from German Bionic could now provide relief.

(Aschaffenburg) The company manufactures intelligent, electrically powered exoskeletons that provide back relief of up to 30 kilograms when lifting heavy objects. In a two-month test at DPD’s package center in Malsch near Karlsruhe, workers thoroughly tested the devices and found practical support in their daily work – thus, the test is now being extended.

An exoskeleton is a support device that can relieve different areas of the body depending on its design. The Cray X model from German Bionic is strapped to the user’s back, similar to a hiking backpack, and then secured to the body. The device only needs to calibrate briefly using built-in sensors, and it is ready for use. The Cray X works in two ways: on the one hand, it keeps the user’s back straight. On the other hand, it helps the user to straighten their back when lifting a package. Two motors controlled by intelligent software pull the user upwards at the shoulders, redirecting the force to the thighs, resulting in back relief of up to 30 kilograms with each lifting motion.

The Malsch location is an ideal test bed, especially due to the customer structure. From here, one of the regional major customers ships over 860,000 packages of copier paper annually. Each of these packages weighs around 26 kilograms. During the two-month pilot test, two Cray X units were used on-site. “The Malsch depot was optimal for testing the Cray X under particularly physically demanding conditions,” says Björn Scheel, Chief Operating Officer at DPD Germany.

Great Help When Unloading Heavy Packages

The employees on-site are already convinced of the exoskeleton: especially during the unloading of packages from swap bodies and semi-trailers, their feedback was particularly positive. The Cray X supports them best in tasks where they can move within a limited radius: “Since the Cray X fits snugly to the body and is also connected to the thighs, it slightly restricts the user’s mobility. During package unloading, employees remain in one place. Therefore, the Cray X is particularly suitable here. For jobs where long distances need to be covered, it is less suitable,” says Scheel.

After this overall successful first run, the next step is a long-term test. DPD will deploy a total of seven Cray X units at the locations of Duisburg, Leupoldsgrün, and Malsch. In doing so, DPD and German Bionic want to thoroughly examine what measurable benefits a permanent deployment brings, under what conditions the exoskeleton is particularly helpful, and whether its use is also sensible at other DPD locations. Furthermore, both partners aim to work together to achieve hardware and software optimizations that will enable an even broader application of exoskeletons at DPD.

About German Bionic

German Bionic, with locations in Augsburg, Berlin, and Tokyo, is the first European manufacturer to develop and produce intelligent power suits. Exoskeletons are human-machine systems that combine human intelligence with machine power by supporting or enhancing the movements of the user.

The Cray X from German Bionic is the world’s first connected exoskeleton for the workplace, which, when connected to the Smart Factory, enhances lifting movements through self-learning and prevents incorrect postures. Thus, it becomes the intelligent link between humans and machines. It protects the health of workers, measurably reduces accident risks, and improves work processes.

For this innovative technology, which brings the human back into focus in Industry 4.0, German Bionic and the Cray X have received numerous awards, including the Bavarian and German Founder’s Prize, the Land of Ideas and Automatica Award, as well as a nomination for the prestigious Hermes Award at the Hannover Messe.

Photo: © DPD