Ford Assembly Line Workers Try Out Exoskeleton Tech to Boost Performance

"Built tough": That's the slogan used in ads for Ford trucks, which are shown hauling massive loads, towing equipment, and roaring across rugged terrain. But the workers who assemble those trucks in Ford's manufacturing plants are subject to human frailties. They can suffer from back and shoulder pain as a result of carrying out the repetitive tasks required by their jobs, particularly as they work on chassis suspended above them. Ford estimates that some assembly workers lift their arms about 4,600 times per day, or about 1 million times per year. So workers on Ford's assembly lines in two U.S. factories are getting some extra help.