Exoskeletons in automotive industry: investigation into the applicability across Regions

In the present day, manufacturing companies are constantly facing new challenges, mostly deriving from the possibilities offered to industry by the fourth industrial revolution. New capabilities and services are available for customers and companies by advanced technologies and interconnections, changing the way we live, work and relate to one another. A promising example of Human- Robot Collaboration is the exoskeleton, a wearable device that interacts with the users to reduce the strain associated to the repetitive tasks present in the manufacturing environment. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) (The company merged with PSA creating Stellantis N.V. in January 2021. Abstract was submitted at an earlier stage.), a multinational corporation operating into four (4) Regions: EMEA, North America, LATAM and APAC, had the opportunity to benchmark and test exoskeletons in the different Regions. The focus of the present paper is to present a collaborative approach within Regions on exoskeletons application and feasibility studies including experimental tests, key performance indicators and legal requirements. Main aspects and results are presented together with the open questions.