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HMND 01: 7 hours of autonomous bin picking – time-lapse
Wearable robotics In partnership with Ekso Bionics, Ford rolled out upper body exoskeletal technology in 2019. The EksoVest can help to reduce injury risk when carrying out repetitive overhead tasks.
It provides lift assistance of up to 15 pounds per arm and supports a worker’ s body during tasks like reaching up to screw in bolts. The vest was piloted at Fords’ Michigan Assembly Plant before expanding to 15 plants in seven countries around the world.
2026
Ford begins using Humanoid’ s HMND 01 Alpha robot
The Ford Robotics Building In 2021, the Ford Robotics Building was opened at the University of Michigan. This US $ 75m complex holds custom research labs for robotics alongside classrooms and offices.
For Ford, the facility supports modernised research and product development processes, such as the testing of Digit robots and Spot. The building is also home to the Aaron Friedman Marine Hydrodynamics Lab and the Space Physics Research Lab.
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