🤔 I wonder how much this reflects the perception (and too often misconception) of exos vs. reality. Oddly, the 2017 Gartner Hype Cycle had human augmentation devices like exoskeletons farther along this same curve.

⁉️ Have occupational exos shifted from being overhyped 5-10 years ago to now being underestimated?

🚀 Since 2017, the occupational exo field has transformed and grown by orders of magnitude.

📈 Based on what I've observed with growth, expansion, product advances, inbound interest, and clarity around business and safety impacts, it seems like exos are potentially on the Slope of Enlightenment, which is defined as:

💡 "More instances of how the technology can benefit the enterprise start to crystallize and become more widely understood. Second- and third-generation products appear from technology providers. More enterprises fund pilots; conservative companies remain cautious."

🎯 This definition from Gartner aligns more strongly with what I'm seeing across the exo industry.

☝🏽 That said, exos aren't for every job or industry. And certainly, for some industries, exos are still years away and perhaps only at the innovation trigger point. But not for pioneering industries and use cases, such as in logistics and manufacturing.

🏔 It seems like the "peak of inflated expectations" was probably 6-7 years ago for some industries/uses, and that newer generations of exos are now entering (or very close to entering) the plateau of productivity.

👉🏽 For #ergonomics and #safetytech experts who have been closely tracking the occupational exo industry over the last 10 years, what do you think? Over-hyped or underestimated? Where would you place #exoskeletons and #exosuits along this curve for your industry, and why?!

Every Gartner Hype Cycle includes five phases, below are the definitions of each:

The innovation trigger starts when an event, like a technological breakthrough or a product launch, gets people talking.

The peak of inflated expectations is when product usage increases, but there’s still more hype than proof that the innovation can deliver what you need.

The trough of disillusionment happens when the original excitement wears off and early adopters report performance issues and low ROI.

The slope of enlightenment occurs when early adopters see initial benefits and others start to understand how to adapt the innovation to their organizations.

The plateau of productivity marks the point at which more users see real-world benefits and the innovation goes mainstream.

Source: https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/5598759