Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1122919
23 What is an exoskeleton? According to Levitate Technologies, one of many exoskeleton manufacturers, "Exoskeletons are wearable machines that enhance the abilities of the people who use them... An exoskeleton contains a frame that goes around a user's body or part of the user's body. They can provide support and reduce fatigue. They even enable people in wheelchairs to stand up and walk again." Exoskeletons can be powered in a number of ways but, all of the units I have been working with are powered by springs similar to a Steadicam rig. Until now, exoskeleton manufacturers have considered their markets to be industrial, medical, and military. For our purposes, an exoskeleton can provide support and reduce fatigue when holding a boom overhead for extended takes. Are they needed in our industry? Those of us who started booming when most productions were shooting on film, remember when a "long" take ran three minutes and the longest takes were around ten minutes, as that was how long it took to roll out on a thousand-foot mag of 35mm. On top of that, any TV director who was constantly rolling ten- minute takes would have been tossed out on his ear by the line producer, as the price of film and development made it cost- prohibitive. Back then, an exoskeleton would have seemed like overkill. Now, in the Digital Era, cutting is seen as a great inconvenience. Takes often run twenty minutes and longer. Quite frankly, the human body was not built to perform the task of holding a fishpole overhead for these extended takes. Whether it is an exoskeleton or a Fisher boom or a four-person sound crew, something is needed to provide relief for microphone boom operators. In January, after almost thirty years of booming, I had a full tear of my left rotator cuff tendon and a partial tear of the biceps tendon. While I finished off the rotator cuff in the gym, all the medical professionals I've seen since the injury tell me that it was caused by many years of wear and tear. Dr. Thomas Knapp, the surgeon who performed my surgery, told me that he operates on a lot of microphone boom operators. When asked by them what they can do to prevent similar injuries in the future, he replies, "become an accountant." As Chair of the Injury Prevention Committee at Local 695, this is one type of injury I'm trying to prevent. Exoskeletons have the ability to support the weight of the boom on the hips while causing only a little restriction in mobility and are possibly the least expensive and most practical solution in most cases for excessive takes. I have met with some skepticism regarding any need for change. There are those who believe that the correct diet and exercise can prevent injuries. It is true that a better health regimen could benefit many of us, but, we are not highly paid athletes with personal trainers. Most of us have families. Making time to work out after a twelve-hour day and a commute could only be accomplished by reducing needed sleep. I try to find time to work out on set. A large part of Ken Strain on Mythic Quest