00:00 Robot noises can now be heard at Berlin's Charité Hospital.
00:07 An exoskeleton is giving nurse Zarafas Contreras additional support.
00:12 It distributes the patient's weight away from the back to the shoulders and legs.
00:18 Though the device is still being tested, Contreras would like it to become standard equipment.
00:23 After all, many nurses leave their careers early because lifting patients gets too painful.
00:29 It's everything we need. Protecting our backs is the most important thing we can do here to extend our careers.
00:37 The robot on the nurse's back doesn't bother patients like Renate Meier. She's happy for them.
00:44 I think it's a good thing that technology is getting more advanced. It benefits both the patient and the nursing staff.
00:54 Charité has been testing exoskeletons since 2021. The current version is completely new and adapted for nursing.
01:02 Handles have also been integrated for the patients.
01:05 Head of nursing research Sandra Strube-Lahmann wants to do a study investigating the impact of the exoskeleton.
01:13 She also hopes to have found a solution to the shortage of skilled nurses.
01:18 I could imagine that we might be able to make a contribution to reducing the strain.
01:25 And that might help prevent some people from leaving the profession.
01:33 Norma Steller from the German company Bionic developed the exoskeleton for nurses. It was introduced in December 2023.
01:42 The first models are already in use in hospitals and healthcare facilities in the US, Europe and Japan.
01:49 It's just the beginning, says Steller.
01:53 When people find a way to improve themselves through technology, they develop it further and integrate it into everyday life.
02:00 An exoskeleton will be part of this. We'll find them both in our working lives and private lives.
02:06 As we grow older, they'll help us live longer and stay independent. It will become normal to wear robots on our bodies.
02:14 It's a vision that's convinced German automotive supplier Mubea.
02:19 The company produces the exoskeletons in North Rhine-Westphalia. The next delivery is ready to go.
02:25 Destination is the US. Stefan Kruber is responsible for the new product line.
02:31 He expects a large global market for exoskeletons in the next two to five years.
02:37 The lever movement is used worldwide in an infinite number of workplaces.
02:43 It's a really basic, important movement. And mobile support in the form of an exoskeleton is, we think, a very mobile way to do this while protecting the back.
02:53 And, in case there is any doubt, generating gains in efficiency.
03:01 Mubea itself could be the first major buyer. The company has 50 factories and 15,000 employees worldwide.
03:09 A test with the exoskeletons is currently underway.
03:13 In the lower back area, which is actually used in many different ways, this kind of support or protection hasn't existed.
03:20 And that's why the exoskeleton is also very interesting for us.
03:24 The Fraunhofer Institute is also investigating whether exoskeletons are suitable for logistics.
03:30 Research is still in its infancy. The devices are too new, but the initial tests are encouraging.
03:37 There's definitely potential for exoskeletons to improve ergonomics and thus contribute to keeping employees healthy.
03:49 Nursana Vascontreras is already convinced. She no longer wants to do without the support for lifting and bending.
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