Vitale Barberis Canonico

Vitale Barberis Canonico collaborates with Comau in the use and development of wearable exoskeleton suits

  • Pratrivero
  • November 29th, 2021

We are proud to announce our collaboration with Comau, a global leader in industrial automation, in the use and development of wearable exoskeleton suits, devices which support workers in handling and lifting loads, providing relief to their joints and muscles.

Vitale Barberis Canonico is the first company in the woollen textiles industry to use the exoskeleton MATE-XT, which provides optimum support to the upper parts of the body, in particular to the joints in the elbow-shoulder region, and which is widely used in the metal-mechanical sector. In textiles, operations do not normally involve the lifting of heavy loads, but the frequent handling of light loads such as cones of yarn, repetitive actions which in the long term can cause pain and fatigue.

The challenge for Vitale Barberis Canonico and Comau is to adapt these devices to the particular microclimate in the departments of the wool industry which, as they use natural fibres, require optimal conditions at average temperatures of 26 °C and humidity of 67%. This is the reason why, after the introduction of the first exoskeleton suit to the company in 2020, the second generation of suits – modified and made lighter both in terms of weight and materials – is now being tested in the spinning and warping departments.