There are several hundred exoskeletons on the international market, and new manufacturers and models are appearing every year. Money is now being spent in this field, and researchers around the world are devoting time and effort to finding out how to make better and better exoskeletons.

But what is the point? Why is so much time and money being invested in something that most people have never heard of?

Manufacturers obviously need to make money to continue their work, but the point of exoskeletons is to improve the lives of the people who use them.

Even though AI and robots are taking more and more jobs away from people, there are still some professions that are not automated and may never be. Whether we realise it or not, our society is built on the work of thousands of people who work both in front of and behind the scenes for us. Logistics workers, for example, who empty and fill containers with the parcels we have ordered online. Many of them move parcels weighing up to 10 tonnes (10,000 kg) every day! Warehouse workers who move around all the goods we buy in shops. Farm workers who work in the fields from spring to autumn, bent over berry bushes, lettuce, vegetables and beds of various kinds. Those who work in laundries and handle several tonnes of laundry every single day. Or those who work with animals, shovelling, milking, moving, carrying, clearing. Carpenters, painters, electricians, landscapers, floor sanders and other craftsmen who work with non-ergonomic machines, or with their hands above their heads for hours on end, carrying heavy tools and materials to and from work. Healthcare workers, such as ambulance drivers, nurses, nursing assistants and all those who work with lifting and moving patients.

Physical labour will never disappear from our society, even though there are many talented people constantly working to enable machines to perform more and more types of work.

So, what if those who wear themselves out in these jobs could end their days with energy to spare? What if they could then continue with something exciting that they otherwise would not have had the energy for? Imagine if they could engage in sports, hobbies or leisure activities to a greater extent than they can now? What could they have done with more time and energy to spend with family and friends? Or if they could just relax properly and sleep well at night because their bodies were not completely exhausted?

Exoskeletons cannot solve all the world's problems, and they are not a miracle cure that does the work for you. Nor are they something that helps everyone equally. However, exoskeletons exist to relieve people of physical labour, and they do so to varying degrees. They are getting better and better with each new version, but they are already good enough to help surprisingly much. Imagine if they could help more people out there live their dream life. Then investing in exoskeletons would be a really good deal!