High-Tech Firm Equipois Moves to 'Silicon Beach'

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Councilman Bill Rosendahl joined high-tech manufacturer Equipois at a grand opening ceremony Wednesday at the company's new facility on the border of Playa Vista and Del Rey and tested its groundbreaking zero-gravity exoskeletal arms.

The company was founded in 2006 and uses the Steadicam camera stabilization technology developed for Hollywood to manufacture exoskeletal arms designed to improve safety and productivity in factories, hospitals, in the military and among the disabled. Equipois' zeroG mechanical arm allows workers to operate heavy tools or objects as if they were weightless and with full range of motion, allowing greater productivity while reducing the risk of injury.

The company was named the most innovative firm in North America in 2010 by the International "Stevie" Awards, received the Los Angeles Business Journal's 2010 Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation Award and the 2011 BritWeek Business Innovation Award.

Equipois outgrew its Hollywood plant and recently moved into a new 12,000-square-foot facility on the Del Rey/Playa Vista border, becoming the latest company to set up shop in West Los Angeles' burgeoning "Silicon Beach." The company is located within the boundaries of the Del Rey Neighborhood Council, but identifies itself as being in Playa Vista.

"It's close to where we live on the Westside, and the vibrance of the creative community is amazing here," said Eric Golden, president and chief executive officer of Equipois. He said the company plans on expanding from 18 to 32 workers this year.

Equipois joins several other high-tech companies that have secured a spot in Silicon Beach. Search-engine giant Google Inc. in January announced plans to lease 100,000 square feet of office space at the Binoculars Building in Venice; Mexican filmmaker and Oscar nominee Guillermo del Toro in December opened the 25,000 square feet animation and visual effects workshop Mirada in Marina del Rey and longtime Venice-based visual effects house Digital Domain recently acquired a new facility in Playa del Rey.

Golden told an audience of roughly 150 people that his company was wooed by several cities as it considered where to move.

"I won't name any names because at least with one of them, what happens in that city stays in that city," Golden jokingly said in obvious reference to Las Vegas. "The choice to stay here was a clear one and I think it's a clear one for anyone starting what should be a high-growth business. The talent pool here is unmatched."

Villaraigosa thanked Golden for keeping Equipois in Los Angeles and for tapping the local workforce.

"A lot is said about the fact that L.A. doesn't have many Fortune 500 companies and, well, that's true," Villaraigosa said. "But the fact is that small business is the motor force of the U.S. economy and this is the small-business capital of the United States. Businesses like this, that are innovative, that are technology driven, are the future."

Rosendahl slipped into one of the exoskeletal arms and later gushed about its potential myriad of uses.

"You walk in here and you see the applications from a health perspective of this technology," Rosendahl said. "You are on the cutting edge. You are on the beginning of something that is so exciting, that the entire world will benefit from this. This is not just a little job, this is a big deal. Its impact will be phenomenal."

Missy Brost, senior manager of ergonomic technology for Boeing Co., said her firm was Equipois' first customer and it has bought more than 30 exoskeletal arms that have been deployed at seven sites, including one in Long Beach.

"It does make us more productive and it makes our employees happier and safer," Brost said.

Other Equipois customers include Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., General Electric Co., John Deere, Caterpillar Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp. and the U.S. government.

Soon-Shiong—a billionaire who is a surgeon, biotech entrepreneur, adviser to startups and part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers—also attended the grand opening and praised Equipois for adapting technology from the entertainment industry.

"One thing we have as a nation is innovation, and I don't think anyone can beat us in  innovation," Soon-Shiong said.

Garrett Brown, a cinematographer who invented the Steadicam in 1972, said he developed several new patents for Equipois for its exoskeletal arms. The Steadicam altered filmmaking by allowing camera operators to record and walk with the camera without shaking it.

"I'm thrilled about it," Brown said. "When you invent something you have a form of tunnel vision and you see it for the task you're looking for. Every now and then you have the good fortune to see it does something else."

The Steadicam has provided filmmakers with an "elegant" way to hold the camera, Brown said.

"By elegant, I mean effortless and precise and, wow, that's it for tools," he said. "That's what tools need: effortless and precise. And that gives them two things, endurance in the workplace and increased productivity. When you're holding an object that weighs a lot, your fine motor skills go out the window."