Ergonomic tools of the future such as exoskeletons are an important topic at the 38th International A+A Congress 2023. WearRAcon Europe is an important conference in this field and will take place at A+A for the first time from 25-26 October 2023. Under the motto “People matter”, A+A 2023 is all about the most important trends of our time: sustainability and digitalization.

The Fraunhofer Institute IPA with the University of Stuttgart and the Wearable Robotics Association (WearRA) is organizing WearRAcon Europe. The 38th A+A Congress, which is organized by the Federal Working Group for Safety and Health at Work (Basi), is closely linked to the WearRAcon Europe conference in terms of subject matter and content.

The advantages of exoskeletons have already won over numerous industries: these include the ability to walk again despite a serious injury, to handle heavy parts without assistance or simply to carry out overhead work comfortably and permanently. Exoskeletons and wearables are already being used successfully in industry and commerce, and major mechanical engineering companies, car manufacturers and the medical sector are continuing to experiment with the networking of man and machine. Leading analysts currently estimate the global market volume for exoskeletons at over 20 billion US dollars by 2030.

“As an ergonomic aid for physically relieving physically demanding work, exoskeletons are an increasingly important part of modern occupational safety and are therefore a current and forward-looking topic that could hardly be better placed anywhere than at the world’s largest trade fair for occupational safety and occupational medicine,” explains Dr. Urs Schneider, Head of Department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation.
“The 38th BASI International Congress for Occupational Safety and Health complements WearRAcon with the aspect of the selection and safe operational use of modern exoskeletons and wearables. It offers all users, operational stakeholders, consulting specialists and occupational physicians as well as decision-makers a high-quality and innovative knowledge platform for sustainable prevention in companies,” explains Dr. Christian Felten, Managing Director of BASI.

The WearRAcon Europe Conference 2023 provides new insights into the promising world of exoskeleton systems from various perspectives and, together with the A+A Congress, sets future-oriented impulses. It thus offers the ideal framework for scientific and industry-focused discourse.
Presentations by renowned exoskeleton pioneers, combined with field reports from users from various industries, as well as impulses from experts round off the top-class program. For example, Prof. Dr. Thomas Alexander from the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) will report on the future of work.
The conference offerings will be complemented by a wide range of products and solutions as part of the trade fair and two other exciting areas in the ExoPark: As at the last A+A, a self-experience space will be set up again so that exoskeleton systems from various manufacturers can be tested in realistic work scenarios. Visitor interest and the response from exoskeleton manufacturers were already very high in 2021.

Parallel to the Self-Experience Space, the large live study Exoworkathlon will also take place again. Experienced trainees from various mechatronics training courses will run through courses with holding, lifting and assembly tasks that have been specially developed with the industry. Various measurement sensors are used to collect prospective data in order to measure the effects of exoskeletons.
In the Exoworkathlon, the IPA focuses in particular on prevention for young employees in order to raise awareness of the issue and counteract complaints at an early stage.

“The market for exoskeletons is developing very dynamically. Not only large companies, but increasingly also SMEs are already using this technology successfully. This is why the cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA is strategically important for us,” explains Lars Wismer, Project Director, A+A.

Further information on WearRAcon Europe can be found on the website.

Here you can find information about the Exoworkathlon.

Further information on A+A 2023 can be found on the website.