Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1122919
meet us in a park just north of LAX. The EksoVest sells for $4,000 and uses interchangeable spring cartridges with four tension levels. The $4,000 price tag comes with one set of springs. Each extra set of springs is another $400. The heaviest set of springs creates a "shelf effect," providing fifteen pounds of lift assist to each arm. Once you raise your arms, the vest is doing most of the work in keeping the boom up. The nine-and-a-half-pound vest is well balanced and the weight is distributed evenly so that wearing it does not seem burdensome in any way. One of the drawbacks of this unit are the link assemblies that stick out from the back adding width that could make the vest hard to use in narrow spaces. The manufacturer claims that it is the link assemblies that allow almost unrestricted movement. Even with the link assemblies, the reactions of the people who came out to the demo were mostly positive and they provided Brandon with some valuable feedback. Then, with the help of Thomas Popp and Video Mantis, we held a live stream demo of SuitX's ShoulderX Version 2 (V2) with sales director Mark Criscuolo that has received more than four thousand views. At seven pounds, the ShoulderX is a little lighter with a narrower profile than the EksoVest. Rather than spring cartridges, the ShoulderX has a dial which can be set from three to twelve pounds of lift assist which adds some flexibility and convenience. Again, the reaction in general was positive but, I couldn't get it dialed in to a place where I felt comfortable and that the vest was actually helping. One reason for this was that with arms fully extended, Version 2 was providing no support at all. SuitX asked me to visit their factory in Emeryville to help set up the ShoulderX Version 3 (V3) for our needs as they had already agreed to demo the new unit after the Local 695 membership meeting (scheduled for January 26, 2019). The V3 sells for $5,000 but is a one-size-fits-all unit. Also, there is no need to buy extra spring cartridges. Lighter and allowing support at full arm extension, the V3 is a vast improvement over the V2. The demo in January went really well. Mark and I stayed as long as there were Local 695 members wanting to try the vest and in return, Mark got some terrific feedback. If there is one thing that I have learned from these demos, it is that the vests can take quite a bit of tweaking to find each individual's sweet spot, but once found, they can really assist in supporting a boom. Subsequent to that meeting, Ekso Bionics provided me with a loaner EksoVest which has allowed working microphone boom operators to give it a test drive in real-world conditions for a week or two at a time. Ken Strain, Mike Anderson, and Brandon Loulias have all had the chance to use it on their shows and all have had positive reactions. I have to say, I am somewhat surprised by the amount of interest the vest has received from both below-the-line and above-the-line folks working on these shows. It really creates a buzz wherever it goes. Bryan Cahill EksoVest Demo On April 18, I traveled to San Diego with Chris Walmer, Ken Strain, and Paul Buscemi to check out the Airframe exoskeleton built by Levitate Technologies. Due to my recent surgery, I was unable to try on the unit but Levitate CEO Mark Doyle went through many possible configurations and everyone else was able to give it a go. We were quite impressed by the unit's versatility and ease of use. The basic unit currently retails for $4,300 but some microphone boom operators have found that they only want assist on their front arm, using their back arm as a counter balance. Under that scenario, the price can be reduced by more than a thousand dollars. And yes, the assist can be easily switched from one arm to the other. Currently, Levitate Technologies is not set up to sell to individuals, although with enough interest, that may change soon. It is really interesting to see how the three companies have gone about solving the same problem in different ways. Now, with the EksoVest, the ShoulderX V3, and the Airframe, I feel we have three viable exoskeletons ready for use in production. But, don't take my word for it, ask one of the boom operators who have had a chance to get their hands on one or more. Ken Strain will be writing an article about his experiences using the EksoVest for the summer edition of Production Sound & Video. Exoskeletons are not a panacea. They are one of many tools we will need to keep people from being injured. In my case, exoskeletons have also become a tool I use to keep people informed about the injuries being suffered by microphone boom operators in the Digital Era. I think we'll be seeing more and more of these devices on sets in the coming years.