Quebec company uses exoskeletons to lighten workers' loads
Quebec's Atwill-Morin is using a modern tool to make the age-old profession of masonry and cement work a little easier.
The company has worked on some of Canada's largest job sites and also runs a masonry school to give apprentices a safe place to learn.
Apprentices aren't just learning the trade, they're wearing exoskeletons -- cutting-edge technology, to lighten the physical load.
"It's a hard business because there's lots heavy loads that need to be lifted. So we're talking about stone. We're talking about blocks and bricks. And it's not just a day-to-day thing. It's a career that can be 20-plus years of lifting heavy loads, getting aches and pain in the lower back," said Matthew Atwill-Morin, the company's president.
The exoskeleton is worn head-to-toe and fit to measure. It's a game changer, said journeyman Jacob Saint-Laurent.
"It feels great. It's really light and it helps me pick up things from the ground," he explained.
Initially developed for soldiers serving in Afghanistan, this technology is now making its way to construction sites.
Exoskeletons make the work easier and can reduce back injuries (CTV News)
Each kit costs thousands of dollars, but it makes good business sense over time, according to Matthew Atwill-Morin, because it keeps workers healthy and makes them more productive.
"It's the chronic pain that we're trying to get rid of. I mean the long-term injuries that are due to usage, that is due to the fact you're repeating the same movements for years and years and years," he said.
And for bigger tasks, a mechanical arm does all the heavy lifting, letting the mason focus on the work.
A mechanical arm lifts the heaviest loads (CTV News)
It also means fewer workers are needed to complete the job. For example, a two-person operation building a wall can now be done solo.
"With this tool, well, it's a one-person job now. And not only is it a one-person job, but it's easy for one person to get it done," said Atwill-Morin.
The new gear comes with the blessing of the unions and the government. Atwill-Morin said it will soon be commonplace on most job sites.
Bricklayer Jean-Marc Stelandt said it's not just making his work easier but also giving his home life a lift.
"I'm less tired on Friday. I have more energy to do things on my own, and I'm not, 'Oh baby, I can't go out tonight, my back hurts,'" he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump returns to his campaign facing a warning of jail time if he violates a trial gag order
Donald Trump on Wednesday will use a one-day break from his hush money trial to rally voters in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan, a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when provincial fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Newfoundland fisherman says police broke his leg during protest that delayed budget
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.
A 98-year-old in Ukraine walked miles to safety from Russians, with slippers and a cane
A 98-year-old woman in Ukraine who escaped Russian-occupied territory by walking almost 10 kilometres (six miles) alone, wearing a pair of slippers and supported by a cane has been reunited with her family days after they were separated while fleeing to safety.
Will an 'out of sight, out of mind' cellphone policy make a difference in Ontario schools?
Ontario’s cellphone ban in schools has been met with mixed reaction, with some teachers concerned about constant policing of kids and experts applauding the change as necessary for student learning.
A Utah couple accidentally shipped their cat with an Amazon return. A week -- and 3 'miracles' -- later, they were on a plane to meet a stranger
The Amazon returns employee wasn't at work the day one of her colleagues at a California warehouse found a small, furry stowaway in a box mailed six days earlier from Utah. But Brandy Hunter got the call anyway.
Duelling protesters clash at UCLA hours after police clear pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia
Dueling groups of protesters clashed Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. Hours earlier, police burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school while inspiring others.