They called this body support technology device or exoskeleton Terer. This tool only needs to be attached to the shoulder like a backpack, with two handles that wrap around the biceps of both arms.
The device helps relieve the burden on workers who have to operate the 18 kilogram pruning stick.
“The idea is that Terer will help them reduce the load, especially in transporting the sticks from tree to tree and during the harvesting process,” said Hazlina Salamat, project leader for Terer development.
Terer is part of a move to automate the palm oil industry as many plantation companies in Malaysia say they are understaffed.
Research student Haziq Ramli is part of the Terer project at Malaysian University of Technology, sharing how the device works: “The exoskeleton provides support to both sides of my upper arm. When I work, it holds my arm, so it doesn’t I use a lot of energy. With this tool, I can easily operate the heavy cutting stick for pruning and harvesting oil palms. “
The Malaysian University of Technology team said the device could reduce muscle tension by up to 22% and increase endurance by up to 47%. They estimate that Terer can reduce the harvester’s workload by approximately 20%.
Terer is currently being tested at the Sime Darby Plantation oil palm plantation. The plantation is looking for ways to address a severe labor shortage.
Nearly 80% of Malaysian plantation workers are migrants, many of whom are recruited from neighboring Indonesia. But the global health crisis has caused a shortage of around 120,000 workers by 2022.
Malaysian palm oil producers are facing estimated losses of $ 4.4 billion due to the job crisis.
To address the labor crisis, a number of plantations are now also using smart drones to spray crops with fertilizers and pesticides and monitor their conditions. [ab/uh]
