Dave Hart, Managing Partner of Field Service Associates, discusses one of Marvel’s greatest superheroes (and the issue of skill shortage in the field service sectors)...

In 2008 the character hit the big screen in the film Iron Man, played superbly by Robert Downey Jr. and grossed over $585 million at the box office.

Iron Man had the following abilities:

• Genius level intellect
• Proficient scientist and engineer
• Powered armour suit with:
  • Superhuman strenght, speed, durability, agility, reflexes, and senses
  • Supersonic flight
  • Energy repulsor and missile projection or Regenerative life support

Tony Stark’s armour suit was always intriguing to me as it gave him an extraordinary advantage in any situation as it was powered by an arc reactor. He could fend off any potential foe as it gave him incredible strength and durability.

It got me thinking. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone would develop a suit that would give people incredible strength and durability? Just imagine the uses. People with a physical disability could walk again. The elderly, who may struggle with physical exercises such as climbing stairs or walking could live a ‘normal life’ again if a suit like Tony Stark’s existed.

Well, perhaps it does, in the form of Exoskeleton technology. According to a study by ABI Research, global exoskeleton revenues are expected to rise from $392m (£284m) in 2020 to $6.8bn in 2030. When you consider all the use cases, this number does not seem so unbelievable.

In our mind's eye, we may see large bulky metal frames with wires and hydraulic pipes hissing as the frame moves like some giant metal Schwarzenegger lifting a small family car, but this is not reality anymore, the technology has improved over time. There are practical use cases now used in everyday life. Take GM for example, they are supporting the development of a battery-powered exoskeleton glove developed by Swedish firm Bioservo. This glove, called the Iron Hand, has sensors and motors in each finger, which automatically respond to the level of force that the wearer applies to his or her hand when lifting or gripping something. The glove, therefore, takes up some of the strain. A simple use case, but it helps with productivity, lowers repetitive strains, decreases health and insurance costs, and reduces the risk to its workers.

"It’s been long established that field service is heading for a skills shortage. Growth in service businesses has fuelled demand..."

Does this all seem a bit 22nd century still? Well, Delta airlines are testing a full-body exoskeleton for their baggage handlers that can lift to 90KG (200lbs) for up to eight hours at a time. Please think of the benefits that will deliver to the long-term health and well-being of their people.

So why is the growth in exoskeleton technology so rapid? Well, according to the American Chiropractor Association, back pain accounts for more than 264 million lost workdays in one year—that’s two workdays for every full-time worker in the country, and Low-back pain costs Americans at least $50 billion in health care costs each year—add in lost wages and decreased productivity and that figure easily rises to more than $100 billion, in the US alone!

Now to my point here - it’s been long established that field service is heading for a skills shortage. Growth in service businesses has fuelled demand. As the Boomer generation retires, the next generation of Millennials display signs of reticence and don’t always see field service as an area where they see their career long term. We are heading for the perfect skills shortage storm.

Yes, some technology advances help; the boom in AR technology that allows much better remote triage impacts productivity and customer experience. Couple this with Customer Replaceable Units (CRU’s) and the pressure has been relieved somewhat. Still, most service organisations have no choice other than to send a highly skilled engineer to a customer site to affect a fix.

So, where does this leave us? 

Fewer engineers and higher workloads might mean we need to use tools that could extend the working day or indeed the working life of our engineers. Using exoskeleton suits could reduce the physical burden on engineers so this can be possible. Factor in AI where the suits become more intelligent as they learn over time, and you could have a combination that could deliver a huge productivity bump in field service. Also, consider that as battery technology and manufacturing costs reduce, this technology will be within the grasp of a service leaders budget – it’s just a matter of time…

Further Reading:

• Read more about Leadership and Strategy @ www.fieldservicenews.com/leadership-and-strategy
• Read more exclusive FSN articles from Dave Hart @ www.fieldservicenews.com/dave-hart
• Learn more about Field Service Associates @ fieldserviceassociates.com
• Connect with Dave Hart on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/david-hart
• Follow Dave Hart on Twitter @ twitter.com/DaveHartProfit